From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Sep 22 20:39:30 2010 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 EA21C1065670 for ; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:39:30 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from dkelly@Grumpy.DynDNS.org) Received: from amavis-smtp.knology.net (amavis-smtp.knology.net [75.76.199.6]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C34988FC21 for ; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:39:30 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (amavis-smtp [127.0.0.1]) by amavis-smtp.knology.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id AA055886E5; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:38:56 -0400 (EDT) Received: from smtp12.knology.net ([75.76.199.9]) by localhost (amavis-smtp.knology.net [75.76.199.6]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with LMTP id ZZoDxgKYRCfX; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:38:56 -0400 (EDT) Received: from Grumpy.DynDNS.org (unknown [24.42.224.110]) by smtp12.knology.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 666985200052; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:38:39 -0400 (EDT) Received: by Grumpy.DynDNS.org (Postfix, from userid 928) id 72C3328435; Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:38:57 -0500 (CDT) Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:38:57 -0500 From: David Kelly To: D?nielisz L?szl? Message-ID: <20100922203857.GA92655@Grumpy.DynDNS.org> References: <447149.36059.qm@web30808.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <447149.36059.qm@web30808.mail.mud.yahoo.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: migrate system disk 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: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:39:31 -0000 On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 08:06:13AM -0700, D?nielisz L?szl? wrote: > Hello, > > I have an old HDD which should be replaced soon, actually that HDD > stands as my system disk, what is your suggesion, how should I migrate > the FreeBSD 8.1 from the old disk to the new one? If you must copy exactly what you currently have then I'd use a variation on the handbook method which has already been suggested at http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/backup-basics.html Rather than example 18-1 or 18-2 I'd pipe dump directly into restore. Do this once for every filesystem. Something like: ( cd /; /sbin/dump -0uanf - / ) | ( cd /newmount; /sbin/restore -rf - ) Where /newmount is the temporary new mount point for your new drive. Left preparation of new disk as an exercise for the reader. However there is a good argument to be made for making a totally new installation of FreeBSD. Then go through the original disk picking up the necessary files to customize for your use. As you find these files put their names in a file named something like files.list that in the future one could "tar -T files.list" (thats an incomplete example) to do a minimal quick backup or restore of only the files which are unique to your machine. This is an opportunity to find these files, and to practice using tar -T to lift them from one drive and write them to another. I wouldn't try to move the ports collection with the above technique. However it would be a good idea to save a list of installed ports that one could use to reinstall. -- David Kelly N4HHE, dkelly@HiWAAY.net ======================================================================== Whom computers would destroy, they must first drive mad.