Operating system backup - HELP

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whitewolf73
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Operating system backup - HELP

Post by whitewolf73 » 2021/10/27 16:36:35

Hi guys, this is my first post in the Linux Centos forum and unfortunately I'm not a Linux expert as you, so I ask you a little patience if I say some inaccuracies.

First of all I greet the whole community :)

My need is to be able to make a backup of the server on which my site is located to avoid problems due to system crashes.
The server on which my site is hosted is physically located from my provider, so it is REMOTE and non-local server, but a USB 32GB Pendrive is installed on it, so I would like to backup them inside.

The problem is that, working with PUTTY from ssh, I can't do anything that requires graphical interface, but EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE VIA THE TERMINAL.

After copying the image via FTP, I will have to burn a self-starting image on the pendrive with a system partition cloning program so that, in case of crash, I can start the system from Pendrive and restore the image.

Clonezilla I fear is not possible in text mode. I thought to use dd but I don't think a program that copies the byte byte disc is practiced, I also need the pendrive to be self-starting.

Or I ask if you know a Linux Live distribution that works only under Terminal and containing textual disaster recovery software.

Any good soul can help me?

Thanks to everyone :D

tunk
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by tunk » 2021/10/27 17:27:38

I seem to remember that you can boot Gparted Live in terminal mode.

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TrevorH
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by TrevorH » 2021/10/27 19:12:36

You'd almost certainly be better off putting all your config changes into a configuration management package like ansible/puppet/chef etc and reinstalling the operating system and then running the config management program to put all the changes in to the new system that you need to make it look like it ought to look like. Then you're just left with backing up your data.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

whitewolf73
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by whitewolf73 » 2021/10/28 15:01:06

I'm not sure I've understood; you could bend better please? If you can recommend me a live package (terminal) equipped with backup tools it would be the best solution;)

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TrevorH
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by TrevorH » 2021/10/28 15:18:04

The idea is that you don't back up everything because a large proportion of what you back up will already be present as a result of reinstalling the operating system. Then you have a configuration management program that you tell to make the config changes and deploy the apps that you need and it runs on the newly installed system, installs your apps, configures everything on the system to look like it used to and then you restore your actual data.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

whitewolf73
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Joined: 2021/10/27 16:19:27

Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by whitewolf73 » 2021/10/28 19:17:18

TrevorH wrote:
2021/10/28 15:18:04
The idea is that you don't back up everything because a large proportion of what you back up will already be present as a result of reinstalling the operating system. Then you have a configuration management program that you tell to make the config changes and deploy the apps that you need and it runs on the newly installed system, installs your apps, configures everything on the system to look like it used to and then you restore your actual data.
Yes, but the problem that asks me is that of a system crash, so I am interested in considering a system disk image so that, even if the system does not start or crashed, I can restore the image with all the configuration already made. However, the important is the possibility to restore the system at the same conditions that I leaved it.
I hope I understood well.
What programs can be used to make a system disk image?

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TrevorH
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by TrevorH » 2021/10/28 19:36:36

Despite the sounds of it, doing it the way I suggested is a lot easier than restoring an image backup.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

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jlehtone
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by jlehtone » 2021/10/28 20:28:25

whitewolf73 wrote:
2021/10/27 16:36:35
EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE VIA THE TERMINAL.
Are there other methods than "terminal"? :shock: Managing systems without any clickety clack GUI crap is completely normal.


However,
Let say that you have your server, a pendrive on it and the server has crashed. What do you do then?
How do you start a boot from crashed state? How do you choose what OS it will boot?

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TrevorH
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Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by TrevorH » 2021/10/28 23:43:23

Let say that you have your server, a pendrive on it and the server has crashed. What do you do then?
Or, worse, it's been hacked and the people that attacked it have encrypted your data.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

whitewolf73
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Joined: 2021/10/27 16:19:27

Re: Operating system backup - HELP

Post by whitewolf73 » 2021/10/29 09:38:26

Everything can happen, but we try not to be too pessimistic. I am pleased that the best way to manage a server is to use the terminal (also because I can only do this :)).

Therefore, you can recommend a program to burn the ISO of the operating system to Pendrive (I have to do it from SSH) and a program to make the image of the server system partition on that pendrive?

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