How to clone RHEL5 on Proliant DL380G5

[Dess]

how do i clone the system to an image file using dd command? is it dd if=/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00 of=/tmp/backup ?

Details:
#df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
131G 7.9G 116G 7% /
/dev/cciss/c0d0p1 99M 19M 75M 21% /boot
tmpfs 1.8G 4.0K 1.8G 1% /dev/shm
none 1.8G 40K 1.8G 1% /var/lib/xenstored


#fdisk -l

Disk /dev/cciss/c0d0: 146.7 GB, 146778685440 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 17844 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/cciss/c0d0p1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/cciss/c0d0p2 14 17844 143227507+ 8e Linux LVM

[Ivan Ferreira · Accepted solution]

If your purpose is to restore on another machine, probably is better if you use clonezilla or mondo rescue.

Using dd you will copy everything, including LVM structures and zero filled space.

Anyway, if you want to dd:

dd if=/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00 of=/tmp/LogVol00.dd bs=1M

[wobbe]

I cloned a number of RHEL 5.x on DL380G5 servers. You need to get the alternative live cd. The standard won't support the DL360G5 network card. I don't use LVM but I believe clonzilla can handle LVM volumes. Using clonezilla you can restore to smaller disks!

[Tim Nelson]

mkCDrec works also

remember to configure to include all drivers/modules that the new hardware would need.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Another option is http://www.acronis.com

One must pay for acronis, but it is a good tool.

Used carefully, dd can be used to do this job. Not for the faint of heart.

SEP

[Dess]

I had used Mondo Rescue, it's great! small installation with great functionality. you guys really must try it!

[Dess]

have encounter one problem when testing the restoration.

i burn the ISO image to DVD and booting up one of the server using the first boot DVD. however, after boot up there's a 'boot:' prompt. when i type 'nuke' for a full restoration, it prompts "invalid or corrupted kernel image".

what did i miss out?

[Donny Jekels]

in a huge rush.

Only works if your OS disks are in RAID1.

1) yank out disk 1 from machine #1
2) yank both drives in slot 0 & 1 in machine #2
3) insert drive removed from machine 1 into slot #1 in machine #2.
4) reboot and at raid config - tell the array controller to read from disk nvram.
5) host will boot, catch at single user mode change name and IP; init 3.
6) at this stage raid should be ripping on machine #1 (rebuilding on new drive)
7) now insert originally removed drive from machine 2 slot 0 back into its space.

new box build identical in less than 8min including boot.