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AuthorTopic: All About Remastersys Backup (Read 3,096 times)
Anthony Nordquist
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All About Remastersys Backup
« Thread Started on Jan 26, 2011, 7:23pm »
Remastersys backup is a program written by Tony Brijeski for Debian or Ubuntu systems. It is a series of scripts that creates a Squash filesystem of your installed Linux system and then uses the genisoimage package to create a burnable ISO image. This image will be created in /home/remastersys.

It includes its own installer, this is the same installer that SalineOS uses. This means you can create a backup disk of your system and install it in the exact same way you installed SalineOS. Remastersys backup is a utility for making an exact copy of your system as is. This includes your user names and passwords.

So Remastersys is a really good piece of software and incredibly useful, but there are some things you need to know. Your ISO image MUST be 4 gigabytes or under, this is not going to change anytime soon. Here are some tips for getting down to the 4 gigabyte limit:

1. Add /etc/skel to the folders to exclude (This is under "Modify"). SalineOS has a handful of stuff there for moving to the home folder, of newly created users. More on this under remastersys-dist.

2. Create an archive of your personal files. You can simply copy things you want on the DVD to a folder and right click on that folder and select create archive. Then add the folders the original files are in to files to exclude.

3. Add /usr/src/sgfxi-downloads to files to exclude if you used sgfxi to install your graphics drivers.

4. Hit the Clean button to clear your browser cache.

5. Run AutoUpdate, it will ensure your package cache is empty.

6. Purge any programs you don't use.

If you want your system to work on computers other than the one the disk was made on you should:

1 .Run the command gksu killall slim, login as root and input the sgfxi -n command to move to the native xorg drivers.

2. Add to files to exclude or delete all the FILES (Leaving the folders) in /etc/wicd except dhclient.conf.template.default

3. Exlude /home/.local/gvfs-metadata /root/.local/share/gvfs-metadata

Remastersys-dist
This is the method used to create the official SalineOS ISO images. Using this mode will automatically exclude your /home. Also, your user accounts will be replaced by whatever username you specify in the configuration screen.

In order to use dist mode you should follow the instructions above for using your disk on other machines. If you want your modified configuration files on the ISO you will need to move them to /root and /etc/skel overwriting whats there. The system will use the Debian Live scripts to create a live user and configure the system for different hardware at boot. The live system will use sudo with no password for administrative tasks. If you plan to use this mode for advanced uses (Like building your own OS) I highly recommend reading the source code of remastersys, the Debian Live scripts, and learning some bash scripting.
« Last Edit: Jan 29, 2011, 11:31am by Anthony Nordquist »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
Jimmy
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #1 on Jan 28, 2011, 4:12pm »
@ Anthony

I did a successful Remastersys-dist remaster and install on my first try. :-)

Everything I put into /etc/skel was placed into the users home folder and that was good, couple of things I would like to change:

1. The installer would not start from the desktop, so I ctrl+alt+F1 and started it from the command line, what did I do wrong?

2. All of the software I had installed was there and working, but the personal panel settings and menu settings where gone, how do I keep those settings?

Thanks for your help.
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Anthony Nordquist
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #2 on Jan 28, 2011, 4:15pm »
You need to move the hidden files in home to /etc/skel and /root as well. Thats where the panel settings and such are kept.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #3 on Jan 28, 2011, 4:40pm »
Will any of those files screw up a new user or new computer or new partition install?

And why the installer would not start from the desktop, you got a clue?
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #4 on Jan 28, 2011, 4:46pm »
On the installer no I do not, in 6 months using remastersys to build images I haven't come across this. You should delete .config/Chromium and .cache/chromium . Don't copy .dbus .aptitude .cups .adobe .gvfs or .local/share/gvfs-metadata.

Edit: Updated top post to reflect .local/share/gvfs-metadata
« Last Edit: Jan 28, 2011, 4:49pm by Anthony Nordquist »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #5 on Dec 18, 2011, 7:33am »
is there an extended tutorial for idiots on how to make a bootable iso with remastersys?


i did manage to amke an iso after my system, for a friend, but doesnt boot.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #6 on Dec 18, 2011, 8:43am »
Once you have the iso created by Remastersys, you use the "Remastersys USB Startup Disk Tool" (in Menu -> System). This will make a bootable copy of it.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #7 on Dec 18, 2011, 9:34am »
thanks but not the same thing, from what I see...

I want not to install on usb from my comp, but to create a bootable iso that someone else will install

what you said it install what i have on usb, but my friend is on xp... he must have a bootable iso...
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #8 on Dec 18, 2011, 9:38am »
Once you have a bootable usb drive, then you can try

<code>
dd if=/dev/sdx of=dvd.iso
</code>

(where sdx is the usb drive. It is not sdx1, sdx2, etc. Using only sdx will make the iso bootable.).

So the USB drive is only an intermediate medium.

Maybe Anthony has a good method.
« Last Edit: Dec 18, 2011, 10:01am by loubapache »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #9 on Dec 18, 2011, 9:46am »
I am sharing what I have been doing. This may not help you at all for your particular bootable iso need but it is a good way (to me) to remaster an OS.

I found Remastersys limiting in several ways so I have not been using it lately.

What I like now is a combination of the feature in GParted and also Anthony's GrubDoctor script.

Say you have an install of working SalineOS (or any OS, for that matter, even Windows) in a drive and also a USB stick (4 GB minimum, basically, it needs to be larger than the working SalineOS partition) as an example.

1) This step is not necessary but it will speed up the process later. Bootup using the live DVD and resize the working SalineOS partition to as small as possible.

2) You unmount the working SalineOS partition in GParted and then right click on it and select COPY.

3) You then select the USB drive (it should be unallocated), right click on it and select PASTE. This copies the entire working partition of SalineOS bit for bit to the USB drive.

4) Once the copy is finished, you fire up GrubDoctor. Select the partition in the USB as the boot partition and install grub on the MBR of the usb drive.

5) You can resize the SalineOS partition to what it was and also expand the USB partition if there is space left.

If you do not resize the SalineOS partition, the copying process may take longer.

This will give you an identical copy of the working SalineOS on the USB drive.




« Last Edit: Dec 18, 2011, 9:50am by loubapache »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #10 on Dec 18, 2011, 10:21am »
@loubapache,

Thanks for the feedback on gparted. I've always had a hard time getting the iso size under 4 GiB for Remastersys.

A suggestion for making a backup of whatever size, to restore to any size hard disk (so long as it is at least large enough for the backed up disk or partition being restored, is
Code:
fsarchiver
in a terminal. May need to be root to carry out some operations. A liveCD or a pen drive is preferable.

Run $ fsarchiver in a console for some hints. Here is the QuickStart page: http://www.fsarchiver.org/QuickStart

fsarchiver [<options>] <command> <archive> [<part1> [<part2> [...]]]

It may give you the same flexibility with fewer limitations.
I always include the -v options which gives an indication of what is taking place; otherwise, it just sits there with no feedback with the cursor blinking while it works. :)

I keep a small pen drive with the latest version of SysRescueCD which always releases with the latest stable version of fsarchiver. SysResCD is great for backing up or restoring a partition or disk, as well as just generally useful for system repair or recovery.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #11 on Dec 18, 2011, 10:27am »
Thanks, Richard. Will look into it later.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #12 on Dec 18, 2011, 2:50pm »
very usefull infos here guys, I am glad i've asked the question. I am sure I can do what you say and it will work loubapache, howver I will not mark the thread as solved, maybe in time others will want so share their fixes and how to's on the subject, while if they see it solved they would not.

but you've been very usefull.

thanks.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #13 on Dec 24, 2011, 6:36pm »

Dec 18, 2011, 2:50pm, mihail wrote:
very usefull infos here guys, I am glad i've asked the question. I am sure I can do what you say and it will work loubapache, howver I will not mark the thread as solved, maybe in time others will want so share their fixes and how to's on the subject, while if they see it solved they would not.

but you've been very usefull.

thanks.

FYI: only the Original Poster or an Administrator can change the Subject Line of a thread. This will probably be an open subject anyway, since Anthony opened it.
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Re: All About Remastersys Backup
« Reply #14 on Dec 25, 2011, 7:46am »
hahaha for some reason I thought I've opened it :) should be much carefull in the future :o
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