Disaster recovery framework
Unwind
© Lead Image © lucato, 123RF.com
A simple Bash shell script can be a very powerful tool: Relax-and-Recover generates rescue media from running systems, takes care of backups, and helps when migrating computers to new hardware or converting to virtual machines.
If you are you looking to migrate the system and data on your sad, old laptop to a new device or you have a server that's been standing in the corner for years consuming electricity that would be better off as a virtual machine, the simple Relax-and-Recover [1] shell script can help. This disaster recovery framework for Linux licensed under GPLv2 creates rescue disks (USB sticks, CDs, PXE boot images) and saves the data – optionally in cooperation with an external backup solution.
During subsequent recovery of the data, the tool proves to be a flexible partner that also takes hardware changes into account. Relax-and-Recover is thus not just an emergency tool, it is also a useful migration tool. Physical computers thus become virtual machines through Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) migration; the way back to physical hardware with Virtual-to-Physical (V2P) migration is also possible, and you can even migrate from one virtualization solution to another through Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V).
Our test team worked on Debian 8 ("jessie") and Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) with Relax-and-Recover current stable version 1.17.2 and the latest version 1.18 from the GitHub repository (March 2016) [2]. We produced a rescue medium and a backup of a desktop computer. We also backed up a legacy server, combining the script with an external backup solution to do so. After this, the rescue systems and backups formed the basis for converting the physical hardware to virtual machines.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.