Arch Linux

i_love_penguins

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2010-03-30

Posts: 46

Website

Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

Hi,

I want to backup my SSD (Arch linux system + home). Can I just use dd to do this?
And will it be possible to restore the dd-image later to the same disk?
I'm not sure if there has to be something aligned on the SSD or something else related...

Thanks!

EDIT: I don't want a backup on a regular basis. I just want an image of the disk because I temporarily have to install something else on it.

Last edited by i_love_penguins (2012-05-25 15:50:56)

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Awebb

Member

Registered: 2010-05-06

Posts: 6,688

Re: Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

I have done this before and it worked. Most tools work well, Clonezilla, Acronis and even pure dd. Just make sure you save the whole drive and not just single partitions.

alphaniner

Member

From: Ancapistan

Registered: 2010-07-12

Posts: 2,810

Re: Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

I'd suggest looking into fs aware image tools like fsarchiver and partimage.  With dd you're copying and restoring empty space.  It's great for imaging your MBR however.

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graysky

Wiki Maintainer

From: :wq

Registered: 2008-12-01

Posts: 10,677

Website

Re: Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

I suggest a simple script with rsync or with backintime if you want a GUI and incremental.

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integer

Member

From: Toronto, Canada

Registered: 2011-08-22

Posts: 22

Website

Re: Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

I want to backup my SSD (Arch linux system + home). Can I just use dd to do this?
And will it be possible to restore the dd-image later to the same disk?

Sure you can use dd.  If you're concerned about empty space causing the backup file to grow, just pass the dd output to gzip (assuming your drive is /dev/sda):

dd if=/dev/sda | gzip > ssd_backup.gz

Then, if you need to restore to the same drive:

gunzip -c ssd_backup.gz | dd of=/dev/sda

I'm not sure if there has to be something aligned on the SSD or something else related...

dd just reads the file (in this case, your drive) bit by bit, it will dump everything back just the way it was.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,334

Re: Is there something to pay attention to when making a backup of a SSD?

Sure you can use dd.  If you're concerned about empty space causing the backup file to grow, just pass the dd output to gzip (assuming your drive is /dev/sda):

dd if=/dev/sda | gzip > ssd_backup.gz

BE VERY CAREFUL that you don't try writing ssd_backup.gz to any of the volumes on /dev/sda. 

dd just reads the file (in this case, your drive) bit by bit, it will dump everything back just the way it was.

Provided you tell it the correct destination.  If you make an error, dd will efficiently overwrite whatever was at the destination you provided.

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