[NMLUG] Linux GHOST?

[Steve Browne]

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 10:44:43 -0700, you wrote:

>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.   

Because I also use Windows ME, and I like to have one utility that
covers all bases. I have a system reserved for backup disk-cloning,
and the hard drives are in "docking" cartridges so I can switch OSes
at ease. I like to be able to get it started copying and forget it
until it finishes. Rather than going through six steps.

Also because tarring assumes you have the space to store the interim
tarball, however temporary, and you might not. As I understand it. You
aren't going to store 20+Gb in RAM.

<dd> seems to cover all bases. I hadn't realized I could <dd> the data
in one partition to a larger, pre-existing, partition, as Lila
suggests.

Another consideration is the transfer time; large HDDs can take longer
to clone than one might like. Recent bioses/motherboards seem to
transfer data under MS-DOS VEEERRY SLOOOWLY. I haven't timed a <dd>
transfer, or a <tar> transfer. My backup system using GHOST transfers,
at its best, 1500Mb/min.

I'll keep experimenting, but I'm not a programmer, so I won't be
writing a breakthrough utility for Linux. Someone should.

Steve
Stephen B. Browne
sbrowne at ix.netcom.com
"Ubi bene, ibi patria."