Topic: Backup/restore and installing new hard disk

[Mike Stoddart]

I may consider upgrading disk space on my PC, either by adding a second 6Gb drive, or replacing the 6Gb with a 20Gb drive.

If I go the latter route, and completely replace the disk drive, what is the best option for moving my data from the old disk to the new? I currently use a few ibays, a few users, and several MySql databases.

Thanks

[Jason Miller]

try using the e-smith server and gateway backup/restore facility (located in the manager)

the backup will grab all user data and ibay data and store it in a single tar file (store it on one of your client machines).

basically it grabs stuff in directories /home/e-smith/files directory (which includes /users, /ibays, and /primary)

as for the mysql servers, the only recommendation there is to perform a mysqldump, store those files somewhere (client machine).

when you reinstall on the new disk, do a restore from the file on your client machine (replaces user data, ibays, etc.), reinstall your mysql servers, and reload that mysql data.

its possible mysql has better backup routines, i've never done a full-scale one before myself.

and if you decide not to 'go with the latter' I think there are a number of postings in these forums for how to add a second hard disk.

good luck,

[Garret]

Mike,

First off, for some reason I've never been able to get the gateway backup/restore facility to work. Always shows an error.

I just went though the exact same thing that you are asking about (this weekend).
Had a three gig and put in a 20 gig. How? Nortons Ghost. It will take the entire image from one disk and copy it to another. Yes, yes to those of you gasping in disbelief, it is a windows platform program. Just use a windblows start-up disk (if you need one I can shoot it to you), and then run ghost. Ithink you can still get it on an eval. If not let me know. There are a couple of others that do the same thing but ghost is all I've had to use.

gluck

Garret

[Orville Carter]

Garret wrote:

> I just went though the exact same thing that you are asking
> about (this weekend). Had a three gig and put in a 20 gig. How?
> Nortons Ghost. It will take the entire image from one disk and
> copy it to another. Yes, yes to those of you gasping in
> disbelief, it is a windows platform program.

HEY! I know its a windows program - used it many times to upgrade win9x drives.
ARE YOU SAYING IT WORKS WITH LINUX FORMATTED DRIVES??? WELL I'LL BE.....
GIT OUTTA HEAH....! WOW!

I am also preparing to upgrade the e-smith drives to 23gig scsi's. But the web based backup is not the best for large files. My ibays and stored info downloads are over 400meg. I am going from 9gig scsi to 23gig scsi of two servers.

Come on back, roger, over!

[Garret]

Let' see

Somebody asked about what version ghost and what version of windows startup disk.

To my knowledge, any version of ghost and any windows start-up disk will work. The idea of the start-up disk is to just get the program in to an environment that it will run in. Just plain old dos works fine.

Yes, it will work with Linux because it doesn't have anything to do with the OS. It just makes a mirror image of the existing harddrive. Ghost goes a little further than some of the other Ghost type programs, but on that end they are all pretty much alike.

[LinuxNut]

Step by Step instructions for replacing E-Smith hard drive with another (larger) one.
I have done this several times without failure, follow all instructions to the letter.

http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/mini/Hard-Disk-Upgrade.html