From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Oct 31 15:40:23 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DF43E1065678 for ; Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:40:23 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (gizmo.acns.msu.edu [35.8.1.43]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A51FA8FC2B for ; Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:40:23 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id m9VFb906018127; Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:37:09 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: (from jerrymc@localhost) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6/Submit) id m9VFb9GD018126; Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:37:09 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from jerrymc) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:37:09 -0400 From: Jerry McAllister To: Christoph Kukulies Message-ID: <20081031153709.GC17878@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <490AC650.3000904@kukulies.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <490AC650.3000904@kukulies.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: fastest raw device copy? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:40:24 -0000 On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 09:48:16AM +0100, Christoph Kukulies wrote: > Hi list, > > I'm considering using a bootable USB stick with FreeBSD to perform a > backup of my notebooks' > 500 GB hard disk to a physically identical (same make, same type, same > size) hard disk attached to USB. > > What would be the fastest way to do that sector by sector copy? I'm > using dd right now, > > dd if=/dev/ad0 of=/dev/da0 bs=10000000 > > but maybe there is a utility which does this faster or a larger buffer > size? Probably the limit will be > the USB 2.0 bus speed anyway? Are you sure you want to do a sector-by-sector copy? That won't get you much that is useful in terms of a backup. Can't you use dump/restore instead? Dump each file system on /dev/ad0 to a file on /dev/da0. Create a file system on /dev/da0 using newfs first. You may or may not want to create a FreeBSD slice and partition there before doing the newfs. Make a mount point and mount it. mkdir /bkmnt mount /dev/da0 /bkmnt Or if you created slice and partition in /dev/da0 mount /dev/da0s1a /bkmnt Then do the dumps dump 0af /bkmnt/rootbackup / dump 0af /bkmnt/usrbackup /usr dump 0af /bkmnt/homehackup /home etc for whatever file systems you want to back up. You will be much better off than with a sector by sector copy. ////jerry > > -- > Christoph > > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"