Backing up suggestions

[rmcellig]

I mostly use Ubuntu based distros and one of the apps I love using is Systemback. This app allows me to create a bootable ISO of my current Ubuntu install. Is there something similar in Opensuse? I've heard of KIWI, Clonezilla and the dd command to make images from either a full drive or partition.

What would you advise as a pretty straight forward way to backup my system so that I can install it on other machines. I see snapper in YAST but I think you have to have a btrfs system to use it. My drives are formatted using EXT4.

Thanks for all of your help as I continue to explore my new Tumbleweed installation!!

[swerdna]

A pretty straight backup for a partition would be to boot a live CD like Ubuntu or Knoppix (or many others)
and mount the origin Ext4 partition for openSUSE
and mount some target storage device that has Ext4 on it
and run a command like this (as root):

cp -auv /mount1/origin/.    /mount2/target

It's super simple and has worked for me for ever.

[rmcellig]

Thanks!! I can use my trusted puppy linux to do this. Is there a tool that will convert the backup to ISO?

[swerdna]

Thanks!! I can use my trusted puppy linux to do this. Is there a tool that will convert the backup to ISO?

genisoimage is available in openSUSE. And likely also in Ubuntu. I don't know about puppy.

This will do it I think, but I haven't actually tried it.

genisoimage -o xyzabc.iso   /path_to/directory