Best method to flawlessly backup one Linux machine and restore on a new machine

linux and tech help
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I have read multiple ways to back up an existing Linux machine and restore it in full on a new machine. What is the best fool proof method and tool.

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You have the option of a full system back up which can be achieved with Clonezilla or you can use a file level back up with Deja Dup. You could also do file level backup with rsync but it is command line based unlike Deja Dup which is GUI. There is nothing like fool proof when it comes to backing up a Linux system but the options I mentioned are to a large extent reliable.

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Welcome to the forum, @troutseeker! Yes Clonezilla stands out as a foolproof tool. It allows you to clone your entire disk or specific partitions and restore them to a new machine efficiently.

It’s especially useful if you’re moving to hardware with similar or compatible configurations. Remember to check the new machine’s hardware compatibility and adjust any necessary configurations post-restore.

Other alternatives to Clonzilla:

  1. dd Command: A powerful Unix tool that can create a bit-by-bit copy of your hard drive. It’s very effective but requires caution due to its potential to overwrite data if used incorrectly.
  2. rsync: Great for incremental backups. It allows you to backup only the changes made since the last backup, saving time and storage space.
  3. FSArchiver: A flexible tool that allows you to save the contents of a file system to a compressed archive. It is capable of restoring the file system to a partition whose size is not exactly the same as the original.
  4. G4L (Ghost for Linux): A disk imaging tool that functions similarly to Ghost. It supports a variety of file systems and network interfaces.
  5. UrBackup is another excellent choice for backing up Linux machines, distinct from the likes of Clonezilla, Partimage, and FSArchiver.

Happy Linuxing!

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Greatly appreciated !

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I’m a dd fan too, but I vaguely recall it didn’t handle devices/drivers well. Is my memory faulty? The memory has something to do with configuration or bits (as in what ls would show).

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I’m using dd for full disk backups and Rclone for partial backups.

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Deja Dup looks well-designed, but I wonder whether it’s possible with an incremental backup tool like this to remove old backups containing large files that have since been discarded, to keep the backup size in check.