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Author Topic: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........  (Read 7820 times)

Offline hitsware

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Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« on: July 17, 2012, 07:53:19 PM »
 I tried just copying all the files and the clones wouldn't boot ...
Some kind of 'iso' maker ?

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2012, 11:34:06 PM »
Hi hitsware
You could use the tc-install.tcz utility on the new thumb drive. That will make it boot-able. Then delete the files
and directories on it. Finally, copy the contents of the drive you wish to duplicate. Once you have done that,
future backups are just a matter of copying files. If you have a CD, it has the install utility on it, and you can
just boot and run tc-install from that.

Offline hitsware

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2012, 08:47:40 AM »
Thanks Rich,
I'm starting over since I accidently copied my working
USB stick back onto itself rendering it unbootable.
I don't have the CD.

I now have a bootable 'current' version on the stick.
I used XP, Core2Usb, and the downloaded iso

After I add my extentions, is there a way to make
an iso of the resultant stick ?
Will Core2Usb then install that on a new stick ?
Or am I missing some simpler approach ?
I don't quite understand your answer above.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2012, 08:49:43 AM by hitsware »

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2012, 09:21:32 AM »
Hi hitsware
OK, try this:
1. Boot from your thumb drive
2. Plug in the destination thumb drive and mount it.
3. dd if=/mnt/BootedThumbDrive of=/mnt/DestinationThumbDrive bs=512 conv=fsync
4. Wait for it to finish.
The thumb drives should be the same size.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2012, 11:51:28 AM by Rich »

Offline hitsware

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2012, 09:37:11 AM »
> 1. Boot from your thumb drive

> 2. Plug in the destination thumb drive and mount it.

Leave the drive I booted from in ?

> 3. dd if=/mnt/BootedThumbDrive of=DestinationThumbDrive bs=512 conv=fsync

(in terminal ?) ' dd if=/mnt/sdb1 of=sdc1 bs=512 conv=fsync '

> 4. Wait for it to finish.
> The thumb drives should be the same size.

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2012, 09:39:25 AM »
Hi hitsware
Yes, leave the drive you booted from in, that's where the  dd  command will be copying from.
Yes, execute the command from a terminal.

Offline hitsware

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2012, 10:47:57 AM »
Didn't work ............ I got a help-screen describing the process but not the process ....
Unless that's what you knew I'd get ? ........

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2012, 11:35:03 AM »
Hi hitsware
No, I didn't expect you to see a help message. I don't have any spare thumb drives to try this myself, so bear
with me. Try this for step three instead:
Code: [Select]
dd if=/mnt/BootedThumbDrive of=/mnt/DestinationThumbDrive bs=512 skip=0 seek=0
sync
« Last Edit: July 18, 2012, 11:52:12 AM by Rich »

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #8 on: July 18, 2012, 11:38:46 AM »
Your of= path is incomplete!
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2012, 11:50:48 AM »
Hi tinypoodle
Doh!  I read the command he posted and missed that little detail, though it wasn't his fault, it was mine. The
examples I posted omitted  /mnt  in the  of=  field. I will correct my previous posts.
« Last Edit: July 18, 2012, 11:57:50 AM by Rich »

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2012, 11:58:44 AM »
Note that path errors with dd could potentially lead to significant data loss disaster.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2012, 12:06:40 PM »
Hi tinypoodle
Absolutely correct. That's why I originally  suggested the somewhat round about way of using the tc-install utility.
I don't like offering the  dd  command for that very reason, but since he had trouble understanding my first
suggestion, I decided to take a chance.

Offline hitsware

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2012, 12:31:02 PM »
Is there a wiki article or something ?
Seems it would be a common procedure.
I'm having a problem finding a Windows isomaker
even though I thought I had one (but tossed it)
I'd rather do it from TCL for the practice though.
Can I download the tc-install and proceed without
the CD ?

Offline Rich

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2012, 12:38:23 PM »
Hi hitsware
Quote
Can I download the tc-install and proceed without the CD ?
Yes you can.

Offline hitsware

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Re: Best way to backup live TCL thumbdrives .........
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2012, 03:10:51 PM »
OK
I used

dd if=/dev/sdb1  of=/dev/sdc1

It worked even though I aborted after it ran and ran
I just need to learn how to limit the bytes ...........