Data transfer from one HD to another
Chris Whitehouse
chris at childeric.freeserve.co.uk
Wed Mar 29 22:23:07 UTC 2006
Posted this to OP but omitted to post to the list. Here's my 2p worth
Chris
> Matt Smith wrote:
>> Hi,
>> Is there an EASY method to transfer the partitions from an old hard disk
>> to a new one?
>>
>> Matt Smith
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>>
>>
> I regularly do this cloning desktops. I am usually using the same size /
> /var /tmp and swap and whatever is remaining as /usr
>
> Install new disk as primary master.
> Boot from CD and install minimal system (you can even abort once it has
> created the file system, the only purpose of this step is to create the
> slices and newfs. I think this is quicker than doing it with sysinstall
> or fdisk/bsdlabel. When it's me doing it it is certainly more error free.)
> Next install your source disk as primary master and new disk as anything
> else. (ad1 in example below)
> Boot to single user.
> Now do:
> mount -u /
> mount /dev/ad1s1a /mnt
> cd /mnt
> rm -rf /mnt/* /mnt/.*
> dump 0afL - / | restore xf -
> cd
> umount /mnt
> fsck -y /dev/ad1s1a
>
> Do the same sequence of steps for /tmp, mounting /tmp read/write and
> using L switch in dump. You don't need to do the mount -u / again.
>
> [Can anybody tell me if it is really necessary to clone /tmp? Not that
> it takes much time.]
>
> Do the same sequence of steps for /var and /usr but mounting them ro and
> not using the L switch in dump
>
> My /usr takes some time like 1 - 2 hours, the rest you can do as you sit at
> the machine. Sometimes the rm fails to remove a directory called empty -
> you have to chflags it.
>
> I've done this quite a few times and had no problems. I've tried various
> variations and this one is the only one that didn't come to some sort of
> sticky end for me. Cleverer people would probably have found a way through.
>
> I did try putting my commands in a script but the result was b0rked
> somehow and I never found time to investigate why.
>
> Chris
>
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