Create RedHat gold image help (clone my server)
 

Hi,

I am installing RHEL 4 u5 x86 64 ES on an HP ProLiant DL 385 G2. The image is already installed and working correctly. I have everything working according to specs. I now have a requirement to do DR and create them a disc image. The system has a RAID 1 logical drive for the OS and a RAID 1+0 logical drive for the data paritions. I have created kickstart images before but this was previously done with the distaster recovery known in advance and a list of packages carefully picked in advance so we were basically making the ks image as we went. Now I have done all this installation and added some shared libraries and such. I have it all written down but what I would prefer to do is simply clone this installation exactly like it is. The people that will be taking control of this server are not Linux savy at all. They are a MS shop so, in the event of catastrophe I want them to be able to slap the disc in and be back operating with minimal effort.

How can I clone this server? We do not have Ghost licenses or anything like that. I would prefer to use OSS components, if at all possible. Ease of use is the main thing. I don't need to do anything such as sysprep. The image is only for this one server.

Any help would be VERY appreciated.

Regards,
Wade

Hi, sounds like partimage run from knoppix would do the job. O'Reilly even puts step by step instructions on how to make the image, and restore the backup in their book, Knoppix Hacks. The book would be handy to have around anyway, and for computer savy linux novices, it would be a godsend.

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/knoppixhks/

I can post exact instructions here if you want, but the book would come in handy in a bunch of other ways, and would prove invaluable just as a dead tree instruction manual for making and restoring your back ups.

Good luck...

David

Will partimage work for RHEL5 too?? Do you know if there is an O'Reilly book that covers the same information?

I've also used g4l - ghost 4 linux. It works fine for my workstation, not sure how much support it does for raid controllers though. Might worth looking at too.

-twantrd

Partimage will work on any kind of system, as long as the disk isn't mounted at the time. It will even image a windows disk for you. You can run it FROM any linux disto, it's just easier to run from knoppix, so it's easier to unmount the hard drive.