Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Wed, 29 Mar 2006 23:22:13 +0100
From:      Chris Whitehouse <chris@childeric.freeserve.co.uk>
Cc:        freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Data transfer from one HD to another
Message-ID:  <442B0895.2000503@childeric.freeserve.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <000201c650d9$06b2e330$0201a8c0@bedroom>
References:  <000201c650d9$06b2e330$0201a8c0@bedroom>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help

Posted this to OP but omitted to post to the list. Here's my 2p worth

Chris

> Matt Smith wrote:
>> Hi,
>>     Is there an EASY method to transfer the partitions from an old hard disk
>> to a new one?
>> 
>>                                        Matt Smith 
>> _______________________________________________
>> freebsd-stable@freebsd.org mailing list
>> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-stable
>> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-stable-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"
>> 
>> 
> I regularly do this cloning desktops. I am usually using the same size / 
> /var /tmp and swap and whatever is remaining as /usr
> 
> Install new disk as primary master.
> Boot from CD and install minimal system (you can even abort once it has 
> created the file system, the only purpose of this step is to create the 
> slices and newfs. I think this is quicker than doing it with sysinstall 
> or fdisk/bsdlabel. When it's me doing it it is certainly more error free.)
> Next install your source disk as primary master and new disk as anything 
> else. (ad1 in example below)
> Boot to single user.
> Now do:
> mount -u /
> mount /dev/ad1s1a /mnt
> cd /mnt
> rm -rf /mnt/* /mnt/.*
> dump 0afL - / | restore xf -
> cd
> umount /mnt
> fsck -y /dev/ad1s1a
> 
> Do the same sequence of steps for /tmp, mounting /tmp read/write and 
> using L switch in dump. You don't need to do the mount -u / again.
> 
> [Can anybody tell me if it is really necessary to clone /tmp? Not that 
> it takes much time.]
> 
> Do the same sequence of steps for /var and /usr but mounting them ro and 
> not using the L switch in dump
> 
> My /usr takes some time like 1 - 2 hours, the rest you can do as you sit at 
> the machine. Sometimes the rm fails to remove a directory called empty - 
> you have to chflags it.
> 
> I've done this quite a few times and had no problems. I've tried various 
> variations and this one is the only one that didn't come to some sort of 
> sticky end for me. Cleverer people would probably have found a way through.
> 
> I did try putting my commands in a script but the result was b0rked 
> somehow and I never found time to investigate why.
> 
> Chris
> 



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?442B0895.2000503>