Recommended BSD HDD Clone Software from boot CD

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#1

hi all,

bsd is written in slices , so normal cloning tools such like Acronis , Partition magic etc.
cannot read the partition indeed.
Are there any suggestions for a bootable cloning tool ?
There is the pkg clonehdd for nomadbsd install , but if you want to restore nomadbsd
from a backup back to the original USBFlashdrive or USBHDD ,
you must use a boot CD to run this clonehdd pkg.
How to do that ?
It might be interesting for nomadbsd users to backup their whole flashdrive and have the option to REPLAY the backup back to the original flashdrive.

#2

Have you tried clonezilla it’s based on linux and resambles the good old norton ghost somewhat. -)

#3

not jet already.

#4

Hi @Senenmut,

the partition schemes used by FreeBSD is OS independent. It can use the old MBR (like the NomadBSD image) or GPT. A slice is just a different term for what you know as partition. So you can use any tool to clone a HDD. I use the good old dd (which is available on any NIX(-like) system) to clone devices, and to write images to another device.

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#5

Ahoy @Senenmut,
just like @mk1 I prefer dd to do backups (clone to file or other device).

  • It is quick and easy from the command line.
  • You can make a one-liner that compresses the backup file as it writes to disk.
  • By using a loop device you can mount your file and browse the content (the file has to be uncompressed). Not limited to image-files made by dd of course.

If you prefer a GUI, I can recommend GParted and if you want it in a boot environment, have a look at SystemRescueCd. Was a great tool earlier in my life…
Knoppix also has GParted - if you want a distribution with everything but the kitchen sink :wink:

#6

yes , pure dd seems the best.