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Disk cloning tools roundup
1st
2nd
4th
3rd
5th
ith their varied ways of working, you can find a situation
that’s best suited to each one of the tools featured here.
For instance, Deepin Clone is an ideal intuitive solution
forhomeusers, which just works. But while the app is available
for non-Deepin distros such as Arch, we don’t feel comfortable
using it in any other distro.
WereSync is based on the venerable rsync utility and is the
only one that can clone a larger disk to a smaller one. It didn’t
make the podium on account of its direct disk-to-disk cloning
mechanism, which we dislike. Coupled with its limited dexterity
and sparse documentation, the program manages to reach the
fourth spot at best.
While advanced users will probably have no issues working
through G4L’s interface, first-time users will surely feel
inundated by all the options at their disposal. Critical
administrative software, such as disk cloning tools, require a
certain degree of comforting familiarity, and new users will take
quite some time to get there with G4L.
All things considered, Clonezilla and FOG Project are the only
viable options that also scale well. We can easily recommend
them to individual users for use on their home network, as well
as to admins of larger networks.
While both do similar tasks, they go about it very differently.
The most visible differences between the two solutions are their
user interfaces and the fact that Clonezilla runs from a Live CD,
while FOG Project requires setting up a server. FOG Project is
also more comprehensive in that it can perform several tasks in
addition to imaging, such as installing apps remotely in Windows
installation via a feature called snap-ins.
If your machines aren’t on a network, you’ll have no option
but to use Clonezilla. Both solutions are on an equal footing in a
networked environment, but Clonezilla’s network options make
the most sense in an environment like a library, where the
remote clients don’t require much administration once they’ve
been imaged. If you need to look after machines once they’ve
been cloned, there’s no better solution than FOG Project, as its
post-imaging options are excellent.
W
AlSo ConSIdEr
TwoofthetoolsfeaturedinlXF in the past, but not included
this time around due to them not showing any signs of life, are
Redo Backup & Recovery and Mondo Rescue. The former is by
far the easiest bare-metal cloning option we’ve run into. Its
downside, however, is that it takes away a lot of the control
over the cloning process in lieu of convenience.
The only real alternatives for cloning disks besides the ones
we’ve already covered in the Roundup are the command-lineones that do the grunt work in the background. The two that
are really worth mentioning are Partclone and FSarchiver.
They both support a large number of filesystem formats and
can quickly roll disks and partitions into movable archives.
The real CLI veterans, however, don’t need anything else
besides the venerable dd tool, which can be used to
effortlessly clone a disk or a partition with a single command.
You’ll need to know what you’re doing!web: https://fogproject.orgLicence: GPL v3
Version: 1.5.5
A comprehensiveimagingsolution that works across networks of allsizes.web: https://clonezilla.org Licence: GPL v2
Version: 2.6.0-37
A feature-richtoolthatworks with all the usual cloning use-cases.web: http://www.deepin.org/en/original/deepin-clone
Licence: GPL v3 Version: 1.1.0
Works asadvertisedbutcurrentlyonly caters to users of the Deepindistro.web: https://sourceforge.net/projects/g4l Licence: GPLv2
Version: 0.55
Similar toClonezilla,butlosesoutbecause of its cumbersome UI.web:https://github.com/donyorM/wereSync
Licence: Apache License 2.0 Version: 1.0
Can clone disks, but its design and backend restricts its use cases.Disk cloning tools
The Verdict
Clonezilla 8/ 10
FoG Project 9 /10
G4L 8/ 10
deepin Clone 5/ 10
wereSync 4/ 10