Linux - SoftwareThis forum is for Software issues.
Having a problem installing a new program? Want to know which application is best for the job? Post your question in this forum.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide
This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.
Click Here to receive this Complete Guide absolutely free.
dd makes a bitwise copy of the drive (i.e., an image). The image must contain all data present on the original disk. tar, OTOH, works on the filesystem and you can create a tar file that contains all the files on the filesystem, but it will not be an 'exact copy' in the sense of an image.
I would suggest using partimage. You can download a live cd such as SystemRescueCD which has that on it already. That app ignores all empty space and does compression for you. I have used it to clone a linux hd. In fact I use it in an embedded application to clone linux from a compact flash so that reinstallation is not necessary. It is very fast compared with doing a dd.
I use this method here in the work to deal with MS_Windows images.
The images are good for a fast restore of a windows machine.
To deal with the large empty space in the image, I store the image in compressed mode with gzip. For a typical 40Gbytes image of an entire hard disk, the compressed image is just about 3G! I have a dozen of compressed images for several kinds of hardware and applications pre-loaded.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.