Need a ISO based Back Up System

[Canuk_Al]

I am a very new user to Linux Mint and am having a difficult time finding a Open Source Back-Up solution similar to what I used in Windows 7.
My requirements are simple at least in my mind.
I wand a GUI based program to back up my complete Linux Mint system in case of a disk failure.
I want to have a DVD or memory stick to load the recovery of the back up if needed.

Can anyone please give me guidance on this?

[catweazel]

Can anyone please give me guidance on this?

Clonezilla live.

[bob466]

I create a System Image of my OS (Cinnamon 18.3) with Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk.

You need to download the software from here...http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details ... ition.html to a Windows machine because the software wont run on Linux but the the Rescue Disk works perfectly.

When software is installed...click Other Tasks - Create Rescue Media and follow the instructions. Once you have your Rescue Disk...plug in your External HDD and create a Folder call it whatever you like ie Backup...then Boot to the Rescue Disk...select source (your Mint OS HDD) then select Destination (Backup Folder) and go from there.

[catweazel]

I create a System Image of my OS (Cinnamon 18.3) with Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk.

Have you ever had to use Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk to restore an image? It has failed to install the bootloader for a number of users.

[bob466]

I create a System Image of my OS (Cinnamon 18.3) with Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk.

Have you ever had to use Macrium Reflect Free Rescue Disk to restore an image? It has failed to install the bootloader for a number of users.

Yes I have...to both a HDD I accidentally Wiped and to a new HDD...I've never had any issues. As a matter of fact my test HDD has been Re-Imaged several times due to me doing silly things. When creating a System Image you must tick all Partitions on the HDD including Swap. It's wise to go to Advanced Settings and select Verify so you know the Image is good.

I'll create a System Image of my Main HDD and Re-Image my test HDD...I need to Image this HDD because I've installed a new version of VirtualBox and up-dated the Kernel etc...we shall see.

[bob466]

I created a System Image of my main Cinnamon 18.3 HDD and Re-Imaged my test HDD...which is the one I'm running now...worked just fine...so these users are doing something wrong. I might write some instructions on how to create an Image as there are none for Linux using Macrium...stay tuned.

[catweazel]

I created a System Image of my main Cinnamon 18.3 HDD and Re-Imaged my test HDD...which is the one I'm running now...worked just fine...so these users are doing something wrong. I might write some instructions on how to create an Image as there are none for Linux using Macrium...stay tuned.

That would be great in the tutorials section.

[coffee412]

Does Macrium Reflect make a sector by sector image(which takes a long time like DD) or just the used partition space and partition setup?

I normally just use DD to make a backup image. In the case of my VB VM I just export to an appliance and save it on my server.

[Mark Phelps]

You can FORCE MR (using a cloning function) to do a sector-by-sector copy, but the default is just to copy the used space.

And, once you have installed the FREE version on a Windows PC and created the Rescue Media, you can uninstall it -- as you can use the Rescue Media after that to do both backups and restores.

[AndyMH]

REDO backup, simple to use:

http://redobackup.org/

Have used it a few times in anger when I've managed to trash my system.

[bob466]

I think I know why some users say it doesn't work...this is Windows software and as we all know Windows can't read Linux files or Partitions.

When you Boot to the Macrium Rescue Disk you will see a Partition called...Unformatted Logical and will have an amount of Ram...this is your Swap Partition and must be ticked. On the HDD you wish to Image all Partitions must be ticked...I bet these users and removing the tick out of this Partition thinking this is Unallocated space.

[Canuk_Al]

Thank you all for the input.
I have tried many things including creating a Gozilla DVD.
It booted up OK, but could not figure out how to create a ISO back Up.
Coming from a Windows environment where this are so easy to do it is difficult and frustrating for me.

[Faust]

I can't think of a GUI based system to do what you need .
@Catweasel gave good advice ( as usual )

Clonezilla is the way to go .
But it's a text based interface and there's a bit of a steep learning curve , and it's not exactly noob friendly .
[It really needs a re-write of the text IMO , but hey ..... WYSIWYG ]

As the user goes through the various steps in the menu , it is vital to understand every word
of each option selected ( and if not , search around until it IS understood ) .
[ It's a lot easier to use than it sounds , after the first few runs . ]

There's an extra hurdle if Windows is your " comfort zone " and you are new to Linux .
Your drives will appear as (eg) sda1 , sdb1, sdb2 , etc. but in MS you are used to seeing C: , F: , H: or whatever
Using GParted is a big help here , in simply identifying which is the source and which is your intended target drive !

I recommend getting " Parted Magic " for newcomers to all of this ( there is still an older free version around )
You get a stripped-to-the-bone GNU/Linux system that runs live off a CD or USB ,
and you'll have Clonezilla AND GParted available to you .

Stick with it , what you are doing is a worthwhile project .... don't give up !

Note -
I tried Redo a few years ago , and I restored from it , and it worked fine , but Clonezilla is still my first choice .

[CaptainKirksChair]

The thing that I have found that works for me is just a straight file copy of my home folder to an external USB drive. I have a 1TB WD Passport that I have partitioned. It has macOS Mountain Lion and Mint 18 as bootable partitions and it has a large area for storing my home folders. I just drag and drop my home folder from the computer to the USB drive and let it run overnight. When I get up in the morning, my backup is done. I don't have to have a separate application for backups. Nothing is compressed. The files are usable on the USB drive. If I have to restore, a rebuild and a drag and drop back the computer gets me right back to where I was. This has worked in Mint and Windows. I could probably automate this with a script but why bother? GUI drag and drop. Easy.

[Canuk_Al]

Hello again,
Well I managed to get Clonezilla on a DVD so that I can boot to it. I also managed to get a System ISO file created. Could not get it to work
with my Samba server so just did it locally to a hard drive. I then copied the Image to my FreeNas server. In addition I use an external USB devise to maintain back-ups on it
and created another copy on it with Clonezilla. I could have just copied it but wanted to do another cloning to help let the configuration of Clonezilla sink in.
Seems like it is working now, OK !
The major issue now is trying to get a bookable memory stick working instead of the DVD. There is conflicting information on doing this?
Many say that you need to use Clonezilla Live Zip versus the Clonezilla ISO. I could not get it to work as I need a program that will run in Linux to create a bootable memory stick.
Yes, there are products that easily work to install Linux operating systems on, but they are limited to ISO installs.
What have others used to make a USB memory stick that will run Clonezilla live and what procedures are necessary?

Thanks again to all !

[Arch_Enemy]

Hello again,
Well I managed to get Clonezilla on a DVD so that I can boot to it. I also managed to get a System ISO file created. Could not get it to work
with my Samba server so just did it locally to a hard drive. I then copied the Image to my FreeNas server. In addition I use an external USB devise to maintain back-ups on it
and created another copy on it with Clonezilla. I could have just copied it but wanted to do another cloning to help let the configuration of Clonezilla sink in.
Seems like it is working now, OK !
The major issue now is trying to get a bookable memory stick working instead of the DVD. There is conflicting information on doing this?
Many say that you need to use Clonezilla Live Zip versus the Clonezilla ISO. I could not get it to work as I need a program that will run in Linux to create a bootable memory stick.
Yes, there are products that easily work to install Linux operating systems on, but they are limited to ISO installs.
What have others used to make a USB memory stick that will run Clonezilla live and what procedures are necessary?

Thanks again to all !

Depending how much data you have, SystemBack is pretty good, and you can install it from Synaptic. One caveat: PAY ATTENTION to the "include" and "exclude" options. Twice I have made ~4G ISOs that contain just the OS and my installed software. Paring down the data to what I really wanted to keep in the event of a failure I was able to get it on a 64G flash drive, and it boots, with all my saved data available to me. You can then use SystemBack to reinstall it and have it set to go; there is even an icon on the desktop and a menu entry to do this. It's not real intuitive, but it works.

You can also follow this: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=688872

But I have had issues making an ISO >8G using this method.

If you make a separate / directory, and a separate /home, you can install a "generic" copy of Mint, without loading specific drivers, copy your data to /home, and then have a copy of your system you can use on just about any computer.

[bob466]

Canuk_Al,

Sorry for the delay...my Printer bit the dust but new one is installed...anyway I've written a Tutorial on how to use Macrium to create a System Image...hope this helps.

[Sir Charles]

SystemBack is pretty good, and you can install it from Synaptic.

I can't find it in Synaptic. What search word do I have to use?

[Arch_Enemy]

SystemBack is pretty good, and you can install it from Synaptic.

I can't find it in Synaptic. What search word do I have to use?

Sorry...I guess I must have installed it manually...

https://sourceforge.net/projects/systemback/files/1.8/

It shows up in Synaptic as Explicitly Installed.

It's a very simple installation.

[Sir Charles]

https://sourceforge.net/projects/systemback/files/1.8/
It shows up in Synaptic as Explicitly Installed.
It's a very simple installation.

Thanks for the link, Arch_Enemy! I will check it out