How to make backup of LINUX
 

Assalam o Alaikum!

How to make backup in linux of overall file system? Means if any error cause to restrict to boot linux or any crash occur in LINUX OS then we can use our backup. Like most commonly in Windows we have ghost software to make backup image of Windows OS. So what are possible way for backup our stuffs in linux OS?

Hi uk.engr,

If you are looking something similar to Ghost but the linux way, you can use CloneZilla
http://clonezilla.org/

Best regards,
Angel.

Aside from Clonezilla, check out mondoarchive, systemimager, and mkcdrec. This has been asked (and answered) on here MANY times, so a quick search will turn up lots, as will a Google search.

Also, you provide no details...version/distro of Linux? Environment you're running in? Number of machines to back up? To what media? How do you want to restore them? Virtual or physical machines???

Fedora 14, LAN environment here about 20 PC. what about media I think for every PC if we write one DVD as its image (I don't know better about it). I want to restore by just mapping the backup image over existing OS? Its Physical machine.

I'd start either by upgrading. The latest Fedora is 17, but if you want to be in a professional environment, you need to think longer-term. Use CentOS or a similar distribution with a long release/support cycle. This will keep your machines patched/updated, and give you consistency across all your workstations, which will make things easier to diagnose/upgrade/fix in the future.

Next, think about what you just said..you have 20 PC's. If the PC's only use 8 GB of disk, that's 160GB of storage, just for ONE snapshot of each workstation. Multiply by how many snapshots you want, then think about what is going to back that SERVER up, multiplied by versions, etc. If all the physical workstations are the same, you could get away with building one workstation, getting EVERYTHING working, configured, etc., and taking one snapshot. Make sure the users work files are stored on the server, accessible over the network, and you can just have a dead workstation network boot to reload the snapshot.

There are LOTS of moving pieces to this, not even considering diskless workstations, which is why considering ALL the details is important. Not enough is stated to make a good recommendation.

Gday mate, clonezilla is a popular live distro for doing such a thing.
I just use the regular and arguably slower dd command. It makes a system image file which is very easy to use. by the way, i don't know what Windows version you're using but Windows 7 comes with a native tool for making system image file backups and i have used it and it worked great too.
All three of these tools, Clonezilla, dd, and Windows system image file creator, can make img files of the entire hard drive or of separate partitions, or at least dd does.

CloneZilla does it too and compress the image too, so it take less space.

Angel

A DVD holds about 4Gb of data and most desktop PCs have 500Gb hard disks so it looks like you'd go through quite a few DVDs and a fair amount of time to just take a snapshot backup never mind instigating a proper backup strategy. :( (Yes, I know you'll not have filled the whole 500Gb HDD but...)

Play Bonny! :hattip:

Yes you are right Soadyheid

Assalam o Alaikum!

For the first time I want to run clonezila on VBOX but it gives this error " This Kernel requires an X86-X64 CPU. but only detected i686 CPU. Unable to boot. please use kernel appropriate for your cpu."

Then I run it with physical machine then it works fine. But I don't want to do first experiment with my physical machine. Kindly help me regarding VBOX.

"For the first time I want to run clonezila on VBOX but it gives this error "

Did you boot the VM to the iso or cd of clonezilla? It should be a 32 bit OS and never say that message.

With reference of http://clonezilla.org/

Minimum System Requirements for Clonezilla live:

X86 or x86-64 processor
196 MB of system memory (RAM)
Boot device, e.g. CD/DVD Drive, USB port, PXE, or hard drive

MY VM
[root@ZXDSL831II fedora8_4]# getconf LONG_BIT
32
[root@ZXDSL831II fedora8_4]# uname -m
i686
Means my CPU and OS both are 32 bit. It fulfills above requirement. But When I boot my VM via both iso or clonzilla cd it give this message This Kernel requires an X86-X64 CPU. but only detected i686 CPU. Unable to boot. please use kernel appropriate for your cpu.

According to this http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-h...64-bit-or-not/ you check for the lm flag (-> 64).
I've got a machine here that has lm flag set for the for cpus, but it returns 32 for your getconf test ...

Ok I got solution. I have downloaded 3 ISOs of clonezila for i486,i686 and x86_64. VBOX only works with i486. In Lab those PCs that have 32bit cpu works fine with i686 iso. those pcs having 64bit processor works fine with x86_64 iso. Now I have some other questions.

How should I utilize clonezilla?
1.In my environment often I have to ready new PCs (with feodra 14), So I want to make clone entire DISK of one PC. Then every time I need to prepare a new system then I apply that image is it possible? if yes what parameters should I take in considerations? If I make a image of 1TB hard drive with having fedora only, is it possible to implement its image on a hard disk of 350GB?
2. I am not willing to make backup of every PC on my network becoz I don't have such media to store such large backups. So I want to backup only bootloaders partition that is sda1, so is it possible to make image of only one PC's sda1 partition and then is it applicable to all PC's sda1? or should I make separate image of every PC's sda1.

No, an image is a bit by bit copy of a disk so your 1Tb disk can only be imaged to a 1Tb disk. The Image copier will copy "empty", i.e. non written data sectors of the disk as well.

Yes, you can make a system image which you can use to stage new PCs. That's how most companies do it. Different departments with different applications on their PCs will have a different image installed so you can end up with PCs with differing builds dependant on their use.

You can probably end up with a few DVDs holding the different system images. This would allow you to restore a system quickly. Note that the PCs should all be the same make/spec so any drivers, etc match and are appropriate. Using an image from an HP desktop to build a Dell desktop will cause no end of problems.

Then there's the bit you REALLY need to back up; the data... But your post implies that may not be your problem. :)

Play Bonny! :hattip: