On Friday 11 January 2008 10:52:50 am Phil Meyer wrote: > Dan Thurman wrote: > > Is there a [Fedora/Linux] clone/partition tool that will clone a hard > > drive with features that allows one to specify any partition size to the > > target new drive? For example, the original drive may have a partition > > with a size of say, 10GB and instead of a direct clone, I'd like to > > specify a larger target partition size of say, an increase of 25GB? > > > > As a feature, I'd also like the capability if need be, to be able to > > change the source drive's partition sizes and to be able to move > > partitions around so as close partition gaps? System Commander was such > > a tool for windoes but is there one for Fedora/Linux? > > > > Any suggestions? > > > > Copying the contents of one drive to another is as simple as: > cp -a <source> <target> > Or there is the most correct way: > cd <source> > find . -depth -print | cpio -pdmu <target> > If both file systems are LVM or hardware raid, then that solves the > other part of your question. > But lets look at a specific example since you did not provide one: > Lets assume that /var keeps filling up and its currently on / which is a > fixed partition. > You have hardware based raid from a SAN or new shoebox. > Use whatever tools are appropriate to create <new volume>. > Mount the new raid device on /mnt > mount <new volume> /mnt > Quiesce applications > cd /var > find . -depth -print | cpio -pdmu /mnt > umount /mnt ; mv /var /foo ; mkdir /var ; mount <new volume> /var > revise /etc/fstab to correct the new /var > restart apps or reboot > rm -fr /foo > You need to MOVE /var because there will surely be something running > with a file open in /var > You need to be quick making the changeover to the new /var, thus the > commands all on the same command line. > Don't remove the old /var until you are positive that all apps that use > /var have been restarted. Sometimes a reboot will be necessary. If > unsure, reboot. > Tried and tested many times. :) > Good Luck! > First, thanks for your tips! I am sincere here and please do not be offended if I come across as an ignorant idiot, of which I can be at times. What happens when you have a multiboot drive, of which there are windoes of many variants (98,2K,XP,...), Solaris, Linux(Fedora,Ubuntu,...)? Which is why it is not so simple. :-/ Also - manually "walking through" each partition of the source drive and manually creating/copying partitions to the target drive could be quite a chore I think, and getting all of the MBRs for each partition could be a nightmare? Which is why I said: "semi-clone" tool... I must be joking, right? Unfortunately, no. Am I asking for a "pie in the sky"? Maybe. But then that is why I am asking - although you are absolutely right, I did not 'specify' the conditions and I apologize for that - must be getting old at my age and forget important details. *sigh*
