Re: cloning/saving system

John,

For future reference, if you want to have a basic clone (not an exact copy)
of a machine, what I end up doing (which allows me to provision a machine in
about 15 minutes) uses the following procedure:

1. Create a package list on the old machine [1]

dpkg --get-selections | grep -v deinstall > pkglist.hostname

2. (Optional) Capture the drive layout [1]

df > driveinfo.hostname
df -h >> driveinfo.hostname
fdisk -l >> driveinfo.hostname

3. Build the new machine with the netinst or businesscard cd. When asked
what type of system to build (package selection), uncheck all the boxes.

Reboot into your new system, copy pkglist.hostname from step 1 onto the
machine. Do the following:

dpkg --set-selections < pkglist.hostname
apt-get dselect-upgrade

This should give you a system with a nearly identical set of packages that
you can then tweak to your hearts content.

[1] You can actually back these files up and have a pool of different
"types" of machine. For instance, I have a workstation packagelist, a laptop
list, as well as lists for the various types of bastion hosts in my network,
including a wiki host (mediawiki), firewall, backup server, etc.

--b

On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 5:41 PM, John Lindsay <jclind@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

John Lindsay wrote:

I am currently using debian lenny as my primary computer. It's a Dell
Dimension 8300, P4, 3.4G with 1G Ram. 60G HD.
I also have a Dell Optiplex GX620 which currently has win7 on a 300G HD
with 1.5g ram. I will be removing files from the win7 and storing them on
DVDs and installing Debian on it. How can I clone/transfer my current
working machine with all it's files/programs like thunderbird/iceweasel etc
to the GX520 and still retain a working system?

John

PS I have file backup manager 'Pybackpack' currently running but I don't
think that is what I want.


Thanks for all the info on the above. "SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED" has
persuaded me NOT to do as I planned. She likes the system as is and refuses
to let me change it. Thanks anyway as I did learn a lot by following up the
suggestions on clonezilla etc.


John



--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with a
subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Archive: http://lists.debian.org/4C44C681.5010405@xxxxxxxxxx


Relevant Pages

  • Re: Question about OO programming in Ada
    ... package, then you can use that type in the child packages. ... But note that, in Ada, a class is a set of types, whereas in C++ ... There is an alternative unique to the Ada language. ... Lists and Nodes ...
    (comp.lang.ada)
  • Re: cloning/saving system
    ... what type of system to build (package selection), ... 'ls -nl /home' lists those. ... list, as well as lists for the various types of bastion hosts in my network, ... To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with a subject of "unsubscribe". ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: Package Conflicts With Neither Package Installed
    ... Please refer to the Code of conduct for Debian mailing lists: ... Unable to locate package nvidia-glx-new ... The package you are talking about is not even in Debian. ... never heard of dpkg-divert or of diversions before this. ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: More writing/reading streams
    ... Is there anything in English about this package? ... scrwfile changes writing of files. ... lists of floating environments, list of listings, list of algorithms, ... The role of the testers ...
    (comp.text.tex)
  • Re: How to set up mirrors in Smart Package Manager?
    ... As regards Livna, if you install their livna-release package for FC6, you can ... Mirror lists are a pain, because each mirror has to be entered manually. ... up your channels - it's well worth the effort. ...
    (Fedora)