Partclone is a tool designed for partition backup and cloning. It supports a wide range of file systems like ext2/3/4, NTFS, FAT32, etc., and is commonly used for disk backup, partition cloning, and system migration.
1. Installation
To install Partclone on Debian or Ubuntu-based systems, run:
sudo apt update sudo apt install partclone
2. Backup a Partition
Create a Backup
To back up a partition as an image file:
sudo partclone.ext4 -c -s /dev/sdX1 -o /path/to/backup.img
partclone.ext4: Use the correct command for your file system (e.g., partclone.ntfs for NTFS, partclone.fat32 for FAT32).
-c: Indicates “create” (backup).
-s /dev/sdX1: Specifies the source partition to back up (replace sdX1 with your actual partition name).
-o /path/to/backup.img: Specifies the output image file path.
Compressed Backup
To reduce the size of the backup image:
sudo partclone.ext4 -c -s /dev/sdX1 | gzip > /path/to/backup.img.gz
3. Restore a Partition
Restore from an Image
Restore an image file back to a partition:
sudo partclone.ext4 -r -s /path/to/backup.img -o /dev/sdX1
-r: Indicates “restore.”
-s /path/to/backup.img: Specifies the image file path.
-o /dev/sdX1: Specifies the destination partition.
Restore from a Compressed Image
To restore from a compressed image:
gzip -dc /path/to/backup.img.gz | sudo partclone.ext4 -r -o /dev/sdX1
4. Check Supported File Systems
To view supported file systems and options:
partclone --help
Each file system has its own command, such as:
partclone.ext4: For ext4 file systems.
partclone.ntfs: For NTFS file systems.
partclone.fat32: For FAT32 file systems.
5. Practical Examples
Backup a Partition
Create a backup of /dev/sda1 and save it as /mnt/backup/sda1.img:
sudo partclone.ext4 -c -s /dev/sda1 -o /mnt/backup/sda1.img
Restore a Partition
Restore the backup /mnt/backup/sda1.img to /dev/sda1:
sudo partclone.ext4 -r -s /mnt/backup/sda1.img -o /dev/sda1
Compressed Backup
Backup and compress /dev/sda1 to /mnt/backup/sda1.img.gz:
sudo partclone.ext4 -c -s /dev/sda1 | gzip > /mnt/backup/sda1.img.gz
Restore from Compressed Backup
Restore a compressed backup to /dev/sda1:
gzip -dc /mnt/backup/sda1.img.gz | sudo partclone.ext4 -r -o /dev/sda1
6. Tips and Warnings
Run as Administrator: Always use sudo for Partclone commands.
Unmount Partitions: Ensure the partition is unmounted before backup or restore:
Check mounted partitions: df -h
Unmount: sudo umount /dev/sdX1
Double-Check Target Paths: Verify partition paths before restoring to avoid overwriting the wrong partition.
Use a Live System: To avoid interference, perform backups or restores from a live environment.
7. Use Cases
Backup before system upgrades: Safeguard data before making changes.
Partition migration: Clone a partition to a new disk.
Disaster recovery: Quickly restore a system in case of failure.
With Partclone, you can efficiently manage backups and restores for various partition types.