2019-05-01_Linux_Format

32 LXF249May 2019 2228May 019Clon8e9l

roundup Disk cloning tools

VErdICT

VErdICT

ou can use Clonezilla for multicast cloning via two
available options. Clonezilla Server Edition requires
setting up a Diskless Remote Boot in Linux (DRBL)
serverto broadcast images across the network. On a smaller
network, you can use the Clonezilla Lite Server mode on the
bootable CD to set up a temporary server.
You use Clonezilla to save the cloned image of a disk or
individual partitions over the network. For this it can establish a
connection to the remote machine via SSH, or through an SMB,
NFS or WebDAV server.
Similarly, in addition to creating and restoring local images,
G4L also has impressive network capabilities. You can use it to
backup/restore and image to/from a remote machine on the
network via various mechanisms, including FTP and UDPcast.
To use the latter, configure the Live environment to set up one
machine as a multicast server, which then broadcasts images
stored locally or elsewhere on the network.
Unlike the other tools on test here, FOG Project is built from the
ground up to work over the network. It works best when it doubles
up as the DHCP and PXE server. All of FOG Project’s imaging tasks,
including capturing and deployment, are handled remotely over
the network. Unlike the other solutions it forces the use of a lot

e wouldn’t fault you for thinking that the process for

restoration would be the reverse of the imaging process

for each of the tools. But Deepin Clone and WereSync

willsurprise you in this respect.

Clonezilla has a very straightforward process for restoring a

partition or an entire disk from a cloned image. You begin by first

selecting the repository that houses the cloned images. Next,

Clonezilla displays a list of all the unmounted partitions to which

you can restore the image.

After you’ve made your selection, Clonezilla wipes the partition

and creates a new partition table on the disk, so be careful with

this. Also keep in mind that the destination partition needs to be

equal to or larger than the source, as it can’t restore an image to

smaller disks.

When restoring with G4L, you must point the tool to the saved

image, followed by the location of the disk or partitions where you

want to restore the image. During our tests, while G4L certainly

began restoring a cloned image from a larger disk to a smaller

one, the process never completed successfully. On the other

hand, attempts at restoring images of a smaller disk to a larger

one went smoothly.

With FOG Project, you first need to register the target machine

with the server and then associate a cloned image with it. To do

the actual rollout, you’ll have to create a deploy image task before

the image is rolled over to the machine via PXE. The same

process works irrespective of whether you wish to deploy to a

single computer or multiple ones.

Network use

Deploying images

Are these tools good for only imaging

local disks and partitions?

Putting the cloned images to use.

y

W

morenetworkservicessuchasDHCPandPXEservers,whichare

optionalwiththeothertools.Bycontrast,neitherDeepinClonenor

WereSyncofferanynetworkawarenessoftheirown.WithDeepin

Clone,though,youcouldobviouslymountaremotecomputerin

thelocalfilesystemandpointtoitasthedestinationforsavingthe

imageofalocaldisk/partition.

ClonEzIllA 8/10

dEEpInClonE 5/10

FoGprojECT 9/10

G4l 8/10

WErESynC 1/10

ClonEzIllA 8/10

dEEpInClonE 5/10

FoGprojECT 9/10

G4l 8/10

WErESynC 5/10

FoGprojectisdesignedfromthegrounduptoresideonthenetwork,while

ClonezillaandG4lcanbeusedtoworkacrossthenetworkaswell.

They’reallwell-matched,withtheexceptionofWereSyncanddeepin Clone.

TorestoreanimagewithDeepinClone,allyouhavetodois

point the app to the image file along with the disk or partition you

want to restore it to. As with its cloning process, the restoration

doesn’t offer any configurable options.

By default, WereSync directly clones a drive to another, so

there’s no option for restoration. However, you can force the app

to image a drive by changing the destination to an IMG file. To

restore from this image, you’ll have to reverse the fields and

specify the IMG file as the source.

You can use the G4L Live CD to turn remote computers into receivers that’ll pull

the broadcasted images and restore them over the network.

All tools can perfectly restore a smaller image to a larger disk, but only WereSync

promises to restore a larger image to a smaller disk.