[NMLUG] Linux GHOST?

[James Hamilton]

Hi Steve, 

Why not just use tar?  Make new partitions on your new device and do something
like:

<do some fdisk>
<do some mke2fs>
mkdir /mnt/newdisk
mount /mnt/newdisk
tar cpvf - --exclude '/proc/*' --exclude '/mnt/newdisk/*' / | tar xpvf - -C
/mnt/newdisk

It should work for ext2/3, I'm curious why you're even considering using
something like Ghost.   

On Sat, Jan 24, 2004 at 12:59:23PM -0700, Steve Browne wrote:
> I recently wanted to move my Linux system to a larger hard drive, with
> larger partitions, without a re-install. For backup I buy my HDDs in
> matched pairs so I can clone Disk A to Disk B using <dd> with no
> problem. But <dd> can't increase the partition size.
> 
> For backing up my MS system I use Symantec Ghost 7.5 Corporate Edition
> on a single floppy and running on a floppy MS-DOS boot. Ghost allows
> me to change partition size (as long as it is to the larger). Ghost
> can also recognize and handle Linux Native FileSystem (ext2). So I
> cloned my 20Gb Linux HDD to a new 80Gb HDD, adjusting the partition
> table to my liking within Ghost.
> 
> This works fine except for preserving the bootloader. Have a rescue
> boot floppy handy for first-time booting of the new drive, and then
> invoke <lilo> from the command line. Presto, everything is fixed.
> 
> But Ghost will not reliably handle ext3 and the more exotic
> filesystems (my experiments have been inconclusive). Microsoft is
> trying to forget MS-DOS ever existed, and Symantec is trying to forget
> it's MS-DOS-based Ghost ever existed - they'd rather sell their GUI
> bloatware. At some point in the evolution of Linux my Ghost solution
> will no longer work.
> 
> Which makes me ask, why the [expletive deleted] doesn't somebody write
> a Linux version of Ghost? Really. There are twenty different MP3
> player apps, but nothing to clone an HDD.
> 
> Please don't refer me to programs that compress a partition or drive,
> which can then be uncompressed elsewhere. Or programs that copy to
> tape. I'm talking about a direct, live cloner with partition
> adjustment capability. Like Ghost.
> 
> Gosh, Ghost (the original version) was written by New Zealanders.
> You'd think SOMEBODY in the world could transpose it to Linux.
> 
> End rant. Thank you for your attention.
> 
> Steve
> Stephen B. Browne
> sbrowne at ix.netcom.com
> "Ubi bene, ibi patria."
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-- 

James Hamilton
Southwest Cyberport
http://www.swcp.com
505-232-7992