Image backup for linux

[aigle]

what you people use for imaging in linux? Is there anything that wil work through a GUI?
Thanks

[Mrkvonic]

I use CloneZilla and it's good for me.
Why do you need GUI except beauty effect?

GUI, must be full blown GUI (tk, qt) or can be text-gui inside console?

Mrk

[andb]

I have used clonezilla for all image backups both windows and linux for years. It's not only the best backup software for linux, it's simply the best all around and have never failed me.

[Oremina]

Having used Terabyte's Image for Windows for some years very successfully on Windows, I now use (part of the same package) their Image for Linux. Not free, but for my money I got Image for Windows, Image for DOS and Image for Linux. It has proven very reliable.

[Trespasser]

I too use Clonezilla. Like someone previously said it works for both Windows (including Vista and Windows 7) along with Linux (at least ext3 and ext4...can't say for other file system types). You'll need a second hard drive or a pen drive formated to fat32 for Clonezilla to work properly. Doesn't work with DVDs...at least not easily.

[aigle]

ok. I wil try it but some questions.

- does it has option to backup and restore MBR?
- Can it restore to a smaller partition( partition smaller than the original imaged one)?
Thanks

[tlu]

Originally Posted by Oremina

Having used Terabyte's Image for Windows for some years very successfully on Windows, I now use (part of the same package) their Image for Linux. Not free, but for my money I got Image for Windows, Image for DOS and Image for Linux. It has proven very reliable.

Do you know if the newest version finally supports ext4? The manual on the Terabyte site still mentions only ext2/3.

[Oremina]

Originally Posted by tlu

Do you know if the newest version finally supports ext4? The manual on the Terabyte site still mentions only ext2/3.

Sorry tlu, can't help you there. Never had the need to know that until now. Never even thought about it until two days ago when I d/l'd Linux Mint 8 RC1. At the moment I am running that in VirtualBox and won't install it properly until the final comes out. Then I'll be keeping an eye on Terabyte's website and newsgroup.

Sorry I can't be any more help than that.

[TheKid7]

Originally Posted by Oremina

Having used Terabyte's Image for Windows for some years very successfully on Windows, I now use (part of the same package) their Image for Linux. Not free, but for my money I got Image for Windows, Image for DOS and Image for Linux. It has proven very reliable.

I also have a license for Image for Windows/Image for DOS/Image for Linux + BootIT NG. I am very pleased with Terabyte's Products.

Here is the Image for Linux Manual:

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/dow..._en_manual.pdf

[tlu]

Originally Posted by aigle

ok. I wil try it but some questions.

- does it has option to backup and restore MBR?

AFAIK, it does that by default.

- Can it restore to a smaller partition( partition smaller than the original imaged one)?

See http://drbl.sourceforge.net/faq/fine...#26_resize.faq

[aigle]

Thanks tlu.

BTW I faound it slow compared to Marcium reflect free. Marcium seems much easier to use too.

[tlu]

Originally Posted by aigle

Thanks tlu.

BTW I faound it slow compared to Marcium reflect free. Marcium seems much easier to use too.

Thanks, aigle. I had never heard of Marcium before. Interesting. This site says that it supports ext2/3 but apparently not (yet) ext4.

Can the Linux rescue CD also be used to create images?

[aigle]

Originally Posted by tlu

Can the Linux rescue CD also be used to create images?

Marcium is very fast just try it. I have not yet made a restore BTW.

Free version rescue CD can,t create image. Pro does it I think.

[Kron]

Originally Posted by aigle

Thanks tlu.

BTW I faound it slow compared to Marcium reflect free. Marcium seems much easier to use too.

Actually have found Image for Linux (IFL) to be faster than Macrium Reflect when using the IFL boot CD to create the image. Very reliable, and device detection very good. The IFD (Dos) product is compatible, as is IFW (Windows) but found the IFL to be fastest. No frills, just good backup/restore of images. May look a bit rough on screen compared to fancy GUI, but it works and works well. Only downside is must use proprietary TBIview to 'mount' the image, and must copy from there to restore individual files.

[noons]

Like others have already mentioned I for one like Image for linux. I actually purchased mine in the image for windows package which included image for linux and is good on 3 personal computers. Very reliable software and generous in terms of licensing.

[Alphalutra1]

dump and restore. There are versions for most filesystems, and it does a far better job of backing up than all the other options:
http://www.coredumps.de/doc/dump/zwi...tdump.doc.html

I know its not GUI, but why be afraid of learning a few switches to compromise for the best?

Cheers,

Alphalutra1

[Ocky]

You may want to have a look at Remastersys http://www.geekconnection.org/remastersys/ubuntu.html You won't be able to image separate partitions. In backup mode Remastersys will image your OS and create a bootable .iso. The proviso being that there is a 4GB limit to the backup. This is not an obstacle for me as one can exclude directories like ~/Music, ~/Videos, ~/.Virtualbox etc. etc. from the backup.
The process takes about 10/15 minutes all in live environment (disable Compiz). Once done just burn the live dvd .iso to DVD and test. All should be OK and then you can reinstall the OS from this live dvd as you would normally install an Ubuntu OS. After install all you need to do is reinstall the nvidia or ati video drivers and maybe the wireless driver.
There is a new version of Remastersys for Karmic 9.10 which I have tried without any problems at all. So, not like Clonezilla but really easy.

[tlu]

Originally Posted by noons

Like others have already mentioned I for one like Image for linux. I actually purchased mine in the image for windows package which included image for linux and is good on 3 personal computers. Very reliable software and generous in terms of licensing.

Agreed. But the issue that ext4 is not yet officially supported remains.

[Oremina]

Just in passing.....
As someone very new to Linux I've been trying Linux Mint for several weeks now and like it a lot, firstly Gloria and now Helena. However, I still consider Windows my primary system so feel fairly free to experiment a little with Mint (everything, all important data etc is well backed up).

I have it installed on an extended partition (swap 8Gb, root(/) 10Gb and /home 20Gb). Despite the fact that Mint 8 Helena is ext4 format I have, using Image for Linux, imaged the partition (to an external hard drive) AND restored it successfully more than a dozen times now and feel very confident about it. It worked using IFL 2.51a and it works using the latest version IFL 2.52.

Would be interested to know if anyone else is using IFL successfully.