How to save/copy/backup Porteus?

[Rico Heart]

Hello,

I value the Porteus running from a pendrive the way I set it up, and I'd like to be able to copy the whole thing onto another pendrive as a backup, or to give to a friend. What would be the best way to do this?

Simply copying /dev/sdxY/boot and /dev/sdxY/porteus onto an empty ext4 pendrive or ext4 SD card seems like a bad idea, because /boot/Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com comes back with error code 2. (During the copying there are a lot of 'cannot copy special file' messages.)

Please advise

[francois]

See:
http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions ... hdd-to-hdd

Code: Select all

cat /dev/sdb >/dev/sdc

[donald]

you could create an iso of your system:
/mnt/sdXN/porteus/make_iso.sh
or
make you familiar with the dd command
or
use external programs like clonezilla
http://www.clonezilla.org/

Edited, because of a misunderstanding

[Rico Heart]

Thanks guys, I have not yet succeeded even with your good suggestions...

Francois, cat /dev/sdb >/dev/sdc is interesting new info, thanks!

I've been using dd for a few years now to install distros with pendrives. (# dd bs=4M if=/path/to/xxx.iso of=/dev/sdx && sync to write and # dd count=1 bs=512 if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdx && sync to restore.)

Since I'd like to copy/save my Porteus from a 64GB Pendrive with a 15GB partition for the system (currently 1.1GB used) and the rest for data, to e.g. a 2GB SD card or a 4GB pendrive, I need another way.

Donald, thanks for pointing out /porteus/make_iso.sh! Seems like this is what I need!

- I made 'myporteus.iso'
- because you suggested it, using dd I've written it to an SD card <<< it did not boot
- did the above with a pendrive <<< did not boot
- remembering that that's not the Porteus way (have to run the /boot/Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com), I restored the SD card with dd, then made an ext4 partition on it
- could not extract the iso, installed file-roller with it's dependencies (becomes Archive Manager and works with the Thunar context menu automatically)
- while extracting (as root), there is an alert from Archive Manager: "An error occured while extracting files. Setting attribute time::created not supported", and only an empty 'porteus' folder was created
- edit: realised I could try running the installer .com on the dd-d pendrive, but it failed to run as the pendrive after the dd is exactly as big as the iso made, no free space

This is where I am now

I'd prefer to do this from inside Porteus, saving the running system.

[beny]

hi the safe way isn't to use dd but the make iso.sh located into the porteus directory,with dd you have the limit of the img space,and i use it to do a system image of 16 giga or more. you can manage the iso with isomaster or acetoneiso extract the iso directories and put on your media after this start the installer script.

[Rico Heart]

Thanks beny, I'll try with isomaster or acetoneiso tomorrow

The plan is then to...
- /mnt/sdxY/porteus/make_iso.sh >>> myporteus.iso
- prepare media with ext4 empty partition
- find and install isomaster/acetoneiso module
- extract myporteus.iso to pendrive ext4 partition
- on pendrive execute /boot/Porteus-installer-for-Linux.com

[beny]

if you can mount the iso, copy the directories directly into the other media and then run the installer

[donald]

@ Rico Heart

--> using dd I've written it to an SD card <<< it did not boot
- did the above with a pendrive <<< did not boot <---

your iso isn't in the isohybrid format, therefore it won't boot when you
dd this iso.
porteus seems not to have this "isohybrid" command (by default),may be that it is
in the devel.xzm.

--> find and install isomaster/acetoneiso module <--
( XFCE )
applications > multimedia > isomaster
I have no idea why "multimedia"

[francois]

-usb install or copying an iso on a usb key
http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/statler ... stallation
.dd method:
fdisk -l (to get to know the device occupied by the usb key)

Code: Select all

dd if=/path/to/iso/porteus-version.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M;sync

Newcomers favourite links and commands: porteus and linux
[STICKY] Newcomer, newbie, links, commands to porteus linux

[tome]

Usually I do it as root user in 2, 3 steps:
1. Install the same bootloader on second pendrive.
2. Copy all files (except bootloader files) from the first to second drive - (cp -au /mnt/sdxY/. /mnt/sdzZ)
3. Copy/update bootloader configurable file: porteus.cfg, lilo.conf, etc. if needed