HOWTO: Full Backup/Restore of SSD Drive to 4GB USB Flash Key

See my posting here about how to make a 4GB flash key that you'll use to backup your SSD drive:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=317&start=20

After the flash key is prepared read the first page of that thread for howto on using the flash key to backup/restore your SSD drive. That is on page one of the thread that I posted:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=317&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

NOTE: IN step 2 of the instructions for backing up, you don't need to mkdir Backup as the flash key already has that directory on it if you've downloaded and created the flash key from the image file that I've created. A total backup of your SSD drive will take about 20 minutes.

I suggest that you save and print the instructions for backup/recovery using this method, as you'll be booting from the flash key and will need to manually type in the commands. Should you need to restore your current system, these instructions will be very useful.

This method of backup/restore involves working at a commandline and not using a GUI. The advantages of this method over the GUI method of using fwbackups:

1) You are doing a complete backup of your SSD drive which includes the MBR, ext2 partition and swap partition.

2) Restoration is a one-step process. No need to first restore the original OS and then install fwbackups and then finally restore your backup.

3) There's no confusion on a restore as to where to restore the backup to. The image file you backed up to is going to be fully restored to your SSD.

4) Everything can be done on the Aspire One. You don't need a second PC to create Acer's flash key restore, nor do you run into problems reported by some where when trying to create a flash key from the DVD restore disk they've lost data on the PC they were using because it wrote to the wrong drive.

IMHO, fwbackups is GREAT for making quick and easy backups of specific directories, such as your home directory or /etc directory and a way to keep those backups really current. But having a complete backup of your SSD using the method I'm outlining here, is my preferred method. Let the 2 methods complement each other.

Cheers.

UPDATE: (Oct 3, 2008) On page 4 of that thread you'll find instructions on how to place a backup script on your key, so you don't need to remember all the long commands necessary to do a backup or restore with this method. This should make this method of doing a full backup easier for end users. With the script installed, you'd boot from the flash key and at the command prompt do:

Code:

cd /mnt/cdrom
./backup

Then a backup requires hitting 1, restore requires hitting 2 or you can quit by hitting 3.

Also, just as a side note ... Should you want to use the image that creates the 4GB flash key on a larger flash key or even an external USB hard drive, you can do that. After "burning" the image to either device, you can use qtparted (a GUI app in the repos) to easily expand the second partition into the unused space left after the "burn". This will give you an external bootable device that will have the sysrescuecd on the first partition and a second partition formatted as FAT32 that will hold your backup image along with any other data you wish to use the drive for with your AA0. Of course, "burning" this image to a flash key or external usb hard drive WILL wipe anything that may already be on that device.

It needs to be pointed out that this second partition contains a directory called Backup and it is there that the script I'm referring to above will write the image backup to. Doing a restore will take your backup image file from the Backup directory and restore your SSD drive in your AAO. You can get creative by renaming the Backup directory to something else after a backup by mounting the drive in your AAO, so that you can keep a number of full backups. Just be aware that if you rename it, you will need to create a new Backup directory on the drive for a future backup AND when restoring a particular image, it MUST be sitting in a directory called "Backup" if you're going to use the script I'm providing.

Cheers.

 

I've updated the procedure above to enable backups to an external USB hard drive, along with another backup option added. You can read about it in this thread ...

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4785

Because it will allow for 2 different kinds of backups - a full SSD drive backup AND a backup of just the SSD's ext2 partition, more room is required then what a 4GB drive will provide. The USB hard drive mentioned in that thread, could be replaced with either an 8GB flash key or a 16GB flash key. That should be enough space do do the backups. The latter size will give you more breathing room and of course a hard drive even more.

Cheers.

 

Hi rbil!

I really like your System Rescue USB disk!

But I have some suggestions that make life easier:

• 1. Swap the two partitions, so that the data partition is first and the boot partition is second. This makes tha data partition compatible with Windows which only mounts the first partition on removable disks!
  2. Set the boot flag on the boot partition, this way the MBR prompt isn't showed any more and this partition is booted directly.

I made these changes to my USB stick and have now a usable data partition for both Windows/Linux and the bootable System Rescue disk.

gr33tz,
Tybor

 

Thanks Tybor for your suggestions. Great idea. Since I never use Windows, I had no idea that it would treat the system any differently. When I get some more time to work on this, I'll look into implementing them. One problem I have is distributing the image file. I found a free server to host it, but uploads take forever. :-(

Cheers.

 

hi rbil, i was trying to download the 4gbrestoreimage.gz file you created for the bootable flash key, but it seems to have been taken down or something. would it be possible for you to reupload it there or somewhere else? it'd be great! (if not, could someone else upload it to a free server?) thanks for your great work.

 

4gbrestoreimage.gz download links:

http://rapidshare.com/files/158210737/4 ... reimage.gz

or

http://www.ezyfile.net/1c5qhatadyua/4gb ... ge.gz.html

or

http://vanvalkinburgh.org/files/acer_as ... reimage.gz

 

http://customdesignlinuxblog.blogspot.com/ has been removed

Is this available somewhere else?

 

Yes, I'd be interested in this as well. Using blackhawk's guide, I did an installation to a USB key, but it would nice to have a Linpus install running on a hard drive partition.
Is that blog available somewhere else? If it's straight html, and doesn't require blog software, I'll be happy to put it up somewhere for you.

 

I don't have a backup of their blog, but I do have the backup script, link below.

http://vanvalkinburgh.org/files/acer_as ... kup/backup