Image Backups Of PCLos. Solved.

[Jeddaboy]

I have been using Acronis via windows to create full backup mages of / and /home partitions. It works well but unfortunatly it backs up the entire size of the partitions. It does not do as it does in windows, ie:images and compresses the partition. The amount of the partition in use, if you get what i mean ?   Does any one know of a program, either Linux or otherwise which does a image backup as it should ? Not the entire size of the partitions ! I am now using Full Monty and notice it has imagemagic and kbackup. Do any of these do the job as it should ? Thanks in advance if any one can give suggestions. Thanks folks, Wayne.  

[John Bee]

Hi;

 All version up to ATI 2012 Home, did not recognize ext4 partitions, so they were backed up sector by sector,
which means the entire partition.

 However, with ATI 2012 Home, you can now backup ext4 partitions and only the used sectors are backed up.
Incremental and differential backups now work as well.

If you want a non-windows alternative, then use Clonezilla. I use clonezilla via the bootable PartedMagic disc, as
you can use scripts this way.

[Just17]

draksnapshot is in the repository .....  and there used to be another whose name I cannot recall.

One of them compressed the backed up data, IIRC.

I no longer use any of those, preferring to keep a backup of the necessary data synced with the actual data .....  using rsync/grsync.

I have no reason whatsoever to back up the OS itself .....  do a remaster every month or so and a reinstall is only 20 mins or so if necessary.

[Linuzoid]

A full image backup of PCLOS is best done with MyLiveCD, in my view. MyLiveCD backs up the data, but not the whole partition size, just the data contained within, if that's what your getting at. A search of the forum will provide more info on MyLiveCD and how to use it.

[horusfalcon]

Noticed the recommendation for Clonezilla.  While the size of images made with Clonezilla are quite small owing to the data compression used, the image will still have to be restored to a disk/partition of equal or greater size, even if the data usage is smaller than the entire partition.  Other than that, it's an excellent free imaging product that performs exactly as advertised.  It certainly won't cost you much to experiment with it.  If you have need for multicasting your images to several machines simultaneously, look at Clonezilla Server Edition, otherwise, Clonezilla Live is the ticket for single machine use.

Later On,
D

[Linuzoid]

Noticed the recommendation for Clonezilla.  While the size of images made with Clonezilla are quite small owing to the data compression used, the image will still have to be restored to a disk/partition of equal or greater size, even if the data usage is smaller than the entire partition.  Other than that, it's an excellent free imaging product that performs exactly as advertised.  It certainly won't cost you much to experiment with it.  If you have need for multicasting your images to several machines simultaneously, look at Clonezilla Server Edition, otherwise, Clonezilla Live is the ticket for single machine use.

Later On,
D

With MyLiveCD, you don't have this limitation. But MyLiveCd only works with PCLOS, not windows.

[johnmart]

MyLiveCD is the thing for an OS backup. None better. But if you want a data backup, MyLiveCD will cut off at 4gb. That's pretty small for an OS & data combined, so better do a straight data backup as others posted for data. At least that is my experience.

[djohnston]

Just an FYI, Jeddaboy. An Acronis live CD may look like a Windows product, but there's a Gentoo kernel underneath that GUI that's made to look like Windows. The live CD for Acronis is running Linux. I just wish I could figure out how they're able to clone a Windows RAID device and restore it correctly.

I do understand you're running the Windows application.

[rich2005]

Just a note about Acronis and I do realise that the Acronis version will be all important and more than probably the 'plus' pack will be required.

Providing you can install into a windoze machine, you can make a live CD/usb which is perfect for backing up Linux.

There is an option when you come to backup, to select 'full sectors' or not, it does say that full sectors will make a larger image. From a couple of tests it does not make that much difference and I tend to go for the full sectors.

I do use bleachbit first, both to remove junk and to wash the freespace, I suppose this is much the same as using 'dd' Should make compression a bit better.

At present a combined image of 15GB system partition (40% full) and 10 GB home partition (25% full)  runs to 3 GB.

By the time you buy Acronis & plus pack, it is a tad expensive, but very reliable.

[lightning slinger]

Take a look at Redo Backup and Recovery at

 http://redobackup.org/

I've been using this for well over a year without any problems arising!

[horusfalcon]

Take a look at Redo Backup and Recovery at

 http://redobackup.org/

I've been using this for well over a year without any problems arising!

Wow... that looks like quite the product!  I'm gonna pull a copy of this down and burn it for some testing.  I'll jot back when I get through. 

Later On,
D

[Archie]

Yeah, it looked promising. However, it states that the livecd is built on Ubuntoo and the app is simply a front-end to partclone. However, it is worth the try ... who knows maybe someone will port it to PCLOS.

[Xenaflux]

but there's a Gentoo kernel underneath that GUI that's made to look like Windows. The live CD for Acronis is running Linux.

Do you perhaps have a link to support that statement.
Didn't find it in the wiki
I would love to have that, as my dear brother is using Acronis and hates linux


And a Happy New Year to all

[horusfalcon]

but there's a Gentoo kernel underneath that GUI that's made to look like Windows. The live CD for Acronis is running Linux.

Do you perhaps have a link to support that statement.
Didn't find it in the wiki
I would love to have that, as my dear brother is using Acronis and hates linux


And a Happy New Year to all

Hmm... looks kind of like Acronis doesn't want this to be the first thing you see.  (In the minds of most of us Linux = Free, so we'd be less inclined to pay for something like this.)

Check their knowledgebase, though, and you see references to it.

Later On,
D

[Xenaflux]

Checked the forum and found some references.
Thanks