use "dd" to move TW "/" into SSD partition OR better to run fresh install?

Folks:

I’ve had a thread running in chit-chat about time consumed to run the often large number of packages that show up . . . one of the “bottlenecks” was suggested to be the ancient '12 Quad core cpu, the other, more easily solvable issue is that the present TW “/” is installed in an HDD and “/home” is installed in another partition on the same HDD, but I have an open slot in an SSD that I could install or “dd” the “/” into.

Since I haven’t used “dd” before, if I could use it to move the existing “/” into an SSD drive on the same machine AND then would that new filesystem be able to find the existing “/home” AND the EFI boot partition? Or, to get the boot set up I’d have to run Yast from back in the old Yast Bootloader?? I think that would work, just looking for confirmation.

The main question is would “dd” get the new “/” and the old “/home” hooked up? Or that is something that would best be done by running fresh installer and using the same /home name to make the connection???

Thanks.

I followed your thread in chitchat;) and judging from that,
If I will to decide is do a fresh install.
You can do a fresh install and customize the application you want
to maybe avoid tons of packages during zypper dup…

Clonzilla can do that with no problems.

https://clonezilla.org/

Whether dd can do the job completely: no. /etc/fstab will require adjusting, as well as the UUID, and if applicable LABEL, on source and/or target. Also bootloader, if used on the source, will need to be reinstalled on the target. Also the partition table needs to define the location of the target.

Whether dd can do the copying part of the job, depends, on:

  1. If both disks are GPT partitioned, then yes.
  2. If both are MBR partitioned and target and source are both primary or both logical, then yes.
  3. If 1 or 2 are no, then it depends. Current partitioning needs to be shown via fdisk -l or parted -l here so a possible recommendation might be made.

In short, dd falls far short of an ideal tool for a non-technical or modestly or marginally experienced person to try to use for partition manipulation. Clonezilla is merely one much better alternative. There are others.

Of course, for the less than highly experienced cloner, a fresh new installation is highly recommended, a no-brainer actually.

Cloning is an integral part of my backup strategy, which is around two decades old. Yet, I’ve never used Clonezilla. I use (non-free) DFSee, and with one exception, I don’t use BTRFS; nor do I use LVM.

Reinstall is the way IMHO, cleaner and has a option to customized the installation.
The title is DD vs reinstall. I am on the reinstall base on his problem thread in chitchat.
Well to preserve his /home, maybe partition first the SSD and “DD” /home to the target /new_home
then use a new / during the new install of tumbleweed.

Moving Tumbleweed and converting /home from ext4 to subvolume /@/home of btrfs:

Replacing SSD 950 PRO 512GB by SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB

Thanks for the replies . . . I got busy at work after I posted, but it looks like the email notification wasn’t set to let me know . . . .

@conram:

Thanks for the suggestion . . . I have done that approach numerous times, fresh install, selecting the existing /home . . . .

@larryr:

Alrighty, I have used CCC to clone OSX installs all over the place, just haven’t fiddled with that on the linux side . . . mostly using the ancient technique of “nuke n pave” . . . .

@conram:

Thanks again for the additional thoughts . . . but, not sure why I would need to make a new /home . . . the plan would be to leave it in the HDD, where it is.

@mrmazda:

Thanks for the thorough reply . . . cloning with an app like CCC isn’t too advanced, but I just never “trusted” using the console to use the overt simplicity of “dd” based upon numerous installs where data was sent to unintended places . . . that would have been back in the “fink” era and other PPC linux escapades . . . .

@karlmistelberger:

Thanks again for the reply and the linked data, I think I have an EVO 860 installed in my olde '09 MBPro laptop . . . very zippy. In my '12 MPro I believe I have a Crucial SSD . . . . But, similar to mrmazda I also don’t use btrfs . . . I use ext4 for all of my heavy lifting . . . . Still not sure why I would need to fiddle with my /home . . .??? The plan as I have done many times, is fresh install in newer SSD pointing to existing /home . . . in the HDD . . . . I’ll leave “dd” to another rainy day; but might check out Clonezilla I think I did have that installed in my Lubuntu 12.04 install, back in the day . . . .

I made the below high level list of steps as reminder for myself. The approach is to use tar to transfer system disk files to another drive:

Backup and restore your Linux system disk:

https://evpo.net/wiki/backup-and-restore-your-linux-system-disk.html

manythanks, very well-done reminder,
as I read there

Activate MBS (Master Boot Record) and install Grub 2

I didn’t find in your site so I was asking to myself if you did the same thing for UEFI based disks and if yes could you please post me the link

Well, last time I checked dd also cloned the UUID, so as long as having to re-mount things, you have almost nothing to worry about. Also based on my history, after having cloned many many many times. I would still prefer fresh install. I did compile my instructions using DD here: https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/536408-Distro-invariant-SSD-HDD-cloning-procedure-to-an-equal-size-or-large-size-using-dd