Comments on: How To Backup Your Ubuntu System With Remastersys

By: doron387

doron387 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:37:16 +0000

i ran it on my laptop – hp pavilion dv 6000
it got until 20% and then the machine turnd off due to overheating.
i actually heard the fans working very hard since the whole process has begun.
anybody expirienced it ? any way to slow it down, it better take more time than burn my lappy…..
thnx

By: How to Back Up Your Entire Computer

How to Back Up Your Entire Computer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:58 +0000

[...] your Linux operating system is an Ubuntu distribution you can also use Remastersys to back up your entire [...]

By: Tonio

Tonio — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:21:33 +0000

Ok, not so great

BIG, BIG, ENORMOUS BUG, what else can be inside:

I change the options for using my user for the created files, I need to cancel the backup, IT DELETED MY USER !!!!!!!!!! OHHH GOD, now I can use my machine anymore !!!!!!
That’s a serious serious bug, for me is enough for telling DO NOT USE IT.

2nd problem (after what happened I won’t try it anymore)
It does not copy to CD/DVD it just writes to a directory, well I don’t have enough
space to backup in disk, that’s why I want to make backup.

So after trying it, I’m faced with a machine I cannot use, without my backup done.

By: z666zz666z

z666zz666z — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:22:08 +0000

I an not so new to Linux, i hate Windows… I was searching for some Util for Linux that could save/restore my *very* personalized Ubuntu… so will Remastersys fit my need? Read more before awnser, please.

-I have Three Internal HDDs.
-I create a separated /boot partition of 512MB
-I create some partitions on all HDDs
-I use Linux Raid0 fo root partition
-I use Linux Raid0 for DATA partition

Let me show a very basic partition schema so can imagine how i install Ubuntu (from Alternate CDs):
-Fisrt HDD -> /dev/sda
-Second HDD -> /dev/sdb
-Third HDD -> /dev/sdc

Now partitions:
/dev/sda1 (512MB) -> /boot
/dev/sda2 (1365MB) -> SWAP
/dev/sda3 (8GB) -> RAID0 for /
/dev/sda4 (*GB) -> RAID0 fot /media/DATA
/dev/sdb1 (1365MB) -> SWAP
/dev/sdb2 (8GB) -> RAID0 for /
/dev/sdb3 (*GB) -> RAID0 fot /media/DATA
/dev/sdc1 (1365MB) -> SWAP
/dev/sdc2 (8GB) -> RAID0 for /
/dev/sdc3 (*GB) -> RAID0 fot /media/DATA
/dev/md0 (24GB) [/dev/sda3 /dev/sdb2 /dev/sdc2] -> /
/dev/md1 (***GB) [/dev/sda4 /dev/sdb3 /dev/sdc3] -> /

In this way i have a very FAST SWAP area (configured with same priority)
In this way i have a very FAST /
In this way i have a very FAST /media/DATA

Note: If any HDD fails all is lost, i know; to avoid -> make BackUPs

/media/DATA is used for temporal Huge (Files >16GB each) temporal data, no need to BackUp, except End-Work (such i put copies on external USB HDDs, at least five copies/BackUPs)…

So i only need to BackUP / and /boot, but how?

I want to be able to restore them without needing to reinstall whole System, neither reconfigure any application, … neither drivers … etc.

I would preffer some way like:
-Boot from a LiveCD/LiveDVD with all tools needed and ready to be used
-Make a BackUp file of /boot partition on any external USB HDD as small as possible (compression!).
-Make a BackUp file of / partition on any external USB HDD as small as possible (compression!).

And then be able to physically chang my internal HDDs for new ones of different size! and restore using same LiveCD/LiveDVD and image files maked in a way like:
-Boot from a LiveCD/LiveDVD with all tools needed and ready to be used
-Make all partitions with new sizes (smaller, greater or whatever i want)
-Restore /boot partition
-Restore / partition
-Boot as it was before, so full check all is done correctly and BackUps Works!!!

Most tools i found like CloneZilla, Partimage, etc… can not let me do such, because of Raid schema… Clonezilla sees /dev/sd$# but no /dev/md#,… and Partimage do not let me to restore to a smaller partition size, so all times it gets greater and greater…

Would Remastersys let me do what i want: Clone my whole system to a Single File or Two files and then restore in a different partition shema?

Thanks a lot for any info!!! And if possible what about supporting Lnux Raid!!!

Note: My Linux Raid (Three stripes, each on one HDD, one PATA, two SATA) can sustain a Write speed on / partition a 187MB/s speed.
Note: My Ubuntu 9.04 full boot time is just 13 seconds -> Starting count just after BIOS post, go to X desktop until no HDD activity; yes only 13 seconds because i use Raid, but how dare can i save/BackUp my system? and restore?

Just beacuse i use Software Linux Raid Stripping to speed up disk acccess (normaly i use files of lots of GBs, normally no less than 16GB each), i am not able to Save and successfully restore full System on different partition schema.

More! I have read that it is also possible to clone Linux from one 32Bit system to an another PC with different hardware (while destination is also 32bit or AMD64 that can work as 32bit), i have never been able to do that! Any idea/good tutorial anywhere?

Let me explain why:

-I use five PCs all with same Linux (Ubunty), same applications, same configuration, NFS, etc… One is AMD64 and system is in 64 bits on it, the rest are all 32 bits. If one fails there are four rest to do the work on them while restoring the failed one… I want not to need to reinstall all and reconfigure it each time.
-Since i used Linux i have never need to restore system, never failed (hope it continues on such way); but with Windows (i hate it a lot) it was working no more than a week, so each week i was in need to restore/reinstall windows system.
-This is why i would like to know how to do Full System BackUp/Restore on Linux, just in case Linux fails! Or better: Just in case Hardware fails!

Thanks a lot for all!

By: Damien

Damien — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:22:06 +0000

I am not too sure about this as I don’t know how similar (or different) Ubuntu 9.04 is to 9.10. If they maintained the same networking structure, most probably it will work.

You might want to do an installation of 9.10 on a separate partition and test this out.

By: Dr. Glyn Burgess

Dr. Glyn Burgess — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:01:16 +0000

Hi
I’m a recent convert to Ubuntu 9.04 and have a 64 bit system currently dual booted with Vista Ultimate. At the end of this month I intend to wipe the Windows partition and do a complete new install of Ubuntu 9.10. Although I’m managing most things in my new Linux environment OK, the one thing I know I won’t be able to do is to script my network connection again from scratch in the new install. I had to pay someone to set this up for me. I have to use a SonyEricsson USB broadband modem as there are no cables here. If I use Remastersys to back up my system will it be possible to transfer these settings into a clean install of 9.10 without having to use any command line functions I may not be able to work out?

Thanks.

By: Claudio

Claudio — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:54:36 +0000

Thanks a lot for this application. Seriously!!

By: Damien

Damien — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:03:08 +0000

Yes. You just need to create a distributable CD and that will contain all your customized setup.

By: Vernon

Vernon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:48:50 +0000

Hi, thanks for the tutorial, just had a question about which option I should use. I’ve taken a long time to customize a fresh install of Ubuntu 9.04 (i.e. video drivers, dual monitor setup, compiz settings, updated programs). I want to do a system backup so that I can restore to this exact state, but I don’t have any data or documents I need to backup. I assume in this case I would create a distributable copy, which would include my drivers, settings and updated programs? Thanks!

By: smuv

smuv — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:06:36 +0000

This is a great tutorial, thanks for your contribution..

By: Damien

Damien — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:54:32 +0000

Whats the difference between the actions ”create a backup of your system, including all the personal data” and ”distributable copy of your current system”?
- As its name implies, “creating a backup” means backing up all your files so that you can restore them in the future. “Creating a distributable copy” means creating a image of the current OS (and all the installed applications) into ISO form. With this image, you can then create a bootable CD and restore your whole system (including the installed applications) from the LiveCD.

create a backup of your system, including all the personal data
- Yes

After the program finishes its job,the backup cd filesystem and iso can be found at /home/remastersys/remastersys folder.So i use this iso to make my Live cd?
- Yes

By: rathgo

rathgo — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:12:20 +0000

Damien i may be a newbie (only 3 months since i’ve been decided to ”kill Bill” ;) )but you’ve got an amazing tutorial here.Well done.Thank you so much.

Only three questions:

— Whats the difference between the actions ”create a backup of your system, including all the personal data” and ”distributable copy of your current system”?

— I use dual boot,i have p.x F with two partitions (80gb and 170gb) and D (160Gb).I installed ubuntu in the 80gb partition.
I want to make a full backup,with all the programms i have installed in ubuntu (this includes the updates of them that i have done also?).Everything,but of course not my mp3,or movies in the other disks.I want if system fail,to put the DVD and all become to Zero point,in the backup time.Configuration/mounts etc.Is that possible?
Am i ok with ”create a backup of your system, including all the personal data”?

— After the program finishes its job,the backup cd filesystem and iso can be found at /home/remastersys/remastersys folder.So i use this iso to make my Live cd?

Thanks again and sorry for my too many questions.
Cheers

By: galla

galla — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:43:18 +0000

Suppose I backup my entire system (root and home) will it include the /media by default (i have my 1tb connected ). Also the backup file if greater than the size it would fit on a cd/dvd then how do i restore from the external hd.
Thanks in advance.

By: OmniDownloads | How to Backup And Install Your Linux Applications With AptOnCD

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:35:30 +0000

[...] How To Backup Your Ubuntu System With Remastersys [...]

By: fibrebundle

fibrebundle — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:54:07 +0000

Hi,
My home folder has tons of stuff, mp3s, videos, etc. When the backup is performed, is all this backed up as well? Or, are just some special folders within my home folder backed up?
Further, if I create the resulting image on an external hard disc
(such as a Seagate disk), how do I use it for fresh installation on
my computer hard drive? With a CD or a DVD image, I can set the bios to load from a CD.
Thanks.

By: Damien

Damien — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:44:34 +0000

Remastersys does not allow you to backup the applications only. In fact, other than the settings of the applications (which are mostly located in the Home folder), you don’t really have to back up the applications as they are readily available in the repository.

To upgrade your system, it would be sufficient to back up your Home folder and restore them on the new system.

By: Cristián

Cristián — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:49:38 +0000

Damien:
I am a Ubuntu user since 5.10 version, but when comes the “upgrade” my body begin to shake, because is a very painful action. This stop me to continue to upgrade since 8.04. This introduction is for asking you,I can make bakup of only the applications, not for the system, because I find that the easy way to upgrade is make o new partition install the new version and then the tons of time and GB of applications , so I can use remastersys to back up JUST THE APPLICATIONS, not the OS that I try to upgrade?
Thanks for your time…

By: fibrebundle

fibrebundle — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:49:19 +0000

Thanks!

By: Damien

Damien — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:16:50 +0000

1) It will include the /home/username folder

2 & 3) The backup DVD itself is already a liveCD. You can use it to install onto a new hard drive. All the configuration files will still be intact.

By: fibrebundle

fibrebundle — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:18:37 +0000

Thanks! Just a few more questions, I’m a newbie!
(1) If I choose the ‘backup(backup full system including user data)’
option, will the image created by Remastersys include the entire /home (including, say, saved files, mp3s, videos, etc.), or special folders in /home?
(2) Next, if I wish to install a copy of my current system onto a new hard drive, how do I use the DVD on which I have saved the image?
Will it create new partitions, etc, all by itself, just as an Ubuntu CD does? Will the installation environment be the same, or do I need a live CD as well?
(3) Finally, after installing Ubuntu, I have had to ‘fix’ configuration files to make printer, wifi, etc, work (the ’standard’ fixes). Will these automatically be there?
Thanks again.