There's a program called Disks on my Linux Distro (Zorin). Theoretically, Disks lets me do what I want to do -- namely, to image my system disk to an external SSD. However, when I tried to do this, Disks said that I cannot image the system disk because it is mounted. Since the Disks app is on my systems disk, I guessed that Disks can't image the same disk that Disks is running from. So I figured -- just copy the Disks app from my system disk to a second internal drive (yes, my Linux laptop has 2 internal drives). PROBLEM: I have no idea how to find the Disks app in order to copy it. Unlike Windows, Linux has no Programs file, so my Windows know-how is fairly useless for Linux. REQUEST: Please -- any & all comments or suggestions will be very very much appreciated.
bellgamin, Forget it. You can't create a reliable backup image of a mounted Linux partition. Use a bootable UFD to create the backup image. I have several Linux partitions. I can use IFL in one Linux distro to backup image another non mounted Linux partition.
UFD=USB Flash Drive & IFL=Image for Linux For Windows, imaging is THE foundation for computer security against infections, drive failures, & pretty much anything else that gets screwed up. Yet Linux is miles behind Windows in this VERY major aspect. Using Zorin Distro, I have every other major requirement of an OS already configured to my preferences & running quite nicely. However -- for me -- the lack of a user-friendly method of imaging is VERY off-putting.
I'd argue creating a backup image from a bootable UFD is user friendly. Very straight forward. In an earlier thread we discussed creating automated backups from a UFD. Now that isn't user friendly but it is automated. You don't have to use the GUI. Just boot the UFD and the backup happens.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/image-for-linux-ifl-boot-media.449506/ This uses a restore script. You will need to create a backup script.
bellgamin, Apart from TeraByte Image for Linux there are more options for system imaging, of course, but the ones I know and use need to be run as bootable USB flash drive. Myself, I use Clonezilla. If one doesn't like the Clonezilla user interface, Rescuezilla is an alternative with a friendlier UI, and there's also Redo Rescue.
You can also use Veeam Agent for Linux...is free and can perform incremental image backups of a running system, so no need to reboot from an UFD. Am using it for quite a few years (since I have thrown Windows out of the window..) and many backups and restores have never failed me. BTW....they also offer Veeam Agent for Windows...is also free.
@cloggy49 -- Looks really good. I shall give it a trial. @xxJackxx -- Please tell me a bit more about acronis. I've used it for Windows -- is it about the same for Linux? @fblais -- I'm presently using Timeshift. Just yesterday I learned how to get Timeshift's help for one of the more critical problems -- the one where your OS is screwed to the extent that it won't even boot.
It's very similar. The boot disk would be the same. We have used it at work to back up some of the Macs. Plug in an external disk, boot from the boot disk, image the system. I think you can do it online from macOS but I remember it being slow. Never had any problems with it. Acronis True Image 2021 for Mac
You can even with FOSS tools, but it is complicated and requires specific setup of OS during installation. I agree it is better for users of this forum to use UFD. @bellgamin regarding question in title: use which command. Chances are it will print /usr/bin https://manpages.debian.org/bullseye/debianutils/which.1.en.html
Okay, I have ended up with Rescuezilla (RZ). Thanks to the nth for all your helpful comments. I tried a few of your suggestions and RZ loved me more than the others, so I chose RZ. BTW -- I cannot find any provision for differentials or sequentials in Rescuezilla. Thus, each image is a full image. ==>Q-1: Does anyone know a way to make differentials or sequentials using Rescuezilla? (If not, it's no problem -- my main drive is far from full, so a complete image only takes ~15minutes.) ==>Q-2: If one's system drive crashes OR gets messed up by user OR gets replaced, does it make any significant difference as to which type of recovery is used (clone VS image)?
