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Best way- Remote image Linux server

Clonezilla live
Scott
2011-03-16
2013-04-05

  • Scott

    Scott - 2011-03-16

    I have a Linux server that's in a datacenter a very long way away from me.  It's a lot of trouble when its hard drive fails, to recreate  the server from scratch.  I would like to image it but with the server being remote this is problematic.  Someone pointed me to Clonezilla as a possible tool to use.

    Can anyone recommend the best way I might use CloneZilla (or anything else) to accomplish such a clone backup, given my limitations and preferences below? 

    1.  First choice would be to be able to do it completely remotely without intervention by the datacenter personnel. 

    2.  however, I gather that #1 may not be possible.  I (believe I) can get the datecenter to put in a bootable DVD for me, and get me to a remote KVM, so I could get it going from that method, I think.

    3.  I would prefer to not have to add asecond hard drive to the box, becasue they charge a monthly fee for that.  It woudl just be sitting there collecting $ for them 99% of the time (hopefully 100%).  If it is possible I would like to have the image transfer to a PC back at my facility.  I have a Linux or Windows box thereto receive if that's possible.  I have a ~4Mbs speed from the server to me (DSL). 

    4. If #3 isn't possible or practical, I beleive I can have them temporairly attach a USB drive to the Linux box at the datacenter as a image target, then return that to me.  Worst case, I can have them add a drive.

    5. Like #3, it would be great to be able to restore the image to the server from my remote location.  However my upload speed is much slower, maybe ~400kbs IIRC.

    6. If #5 isn't practical, is it possible to make a bootable CD with Clonezilla and the restore image on it?  Guess that will depend on the image size of course, so may not fit.  df -h on my server shows about 4G.  I don't know how compressable it is, highly I expect.    If that's possible, maybe I could make a boot CD and have them leave it in the optical drive, with the bios configured to not boot off it unless I'm rebuilding.  Next best thing woudl be a set of CD's containing the image spanned across them.  Or, back to last choice, another hard drive.

    I've never tried imaging a Linux box before.  Add to that the difficulty and expense of renting a dedicated server in a datacenter.  I don't need regular backups, I just need a primary restore image so I don't have to reload and reconfigure the thing from scratch. That's one of those things that's most painful when you don't do it every day.

    Input and suggestions most welcome.   If the server were at home all of this woudl me much, much easier, but alas, it is not.  I have intermediate Linux skills, I can follow instructions well.

    Thanks, Scott

     

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