Choosing a storage snapshot tool
Conclusions
The software solutions presented in this article are designed to create images and clones of data carriers – all of these tasks are performed reliably and without errors. (See Table 1 for a side-by-side comparison of the tools described in this article.) Differences arise in the application scenarios.
Table 1
Cloning Software
| Clonezilla | CYA | Partimage | qt-fsarchiver | Snapper |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| License |
GNU GPL |
BSD |
GNU GPL |
GNU GPL |
GNU GPL |
| Supported filesystems |
ext2/3/4, XFS, JFS, Btrfs, HFS+, FAT16/32, NTFS, UFS |
ext2/3/4, XFS, UFS, ZFS, Btrfs |
ext2/3, XFS, ReiserFS, JFS, UFS, HPFS, NTFS, FAT16/32 |
ext2/3/4, XFS, JFS, FAT16/32, NTFS, Btrfs |
Btrfs |
| Profiles |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Archiving |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Live system |
Yes |
No |
Yes (SystemRescueCD) |
Yes |
No |
| Scheduled |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Intranet connection |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Image comparison |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
If you only want to create images under openSUSE – or another system with the Btrfs filesystem – it is best to use Snapper as a fast solution. For servers that lack a GUI, Partimage and CYA are better suited. However, due to the lack of filesystem support for ext4 and Btrfs, Partimage is only of limited use in Linux-only environments.
Qt-fsarchiver is the best fit for systems with a GUI. Thanks to the optionally available Live DVD, it can also act as a first-class alternative to the visually antiquated Clonezilla in heterogeneous IT infrastructures. Due to the intuitive user interface, qt-fsarchiver hardly requires any training. Thus, nothing stands in the way of an enterprise backup strategy that also includes images and cloned data media.
Infos
- Clonezilla: http://www.clonezilla.org
- CYA: https://www.cyberws.com/bash/cya/
- Partimage: http://www.partimage.org
- qt-fsarchiver: https://sourceforge.net/projects/qt-fsarchiver/
- Snapper: http://snapper.io
- doClone: http://doclone.nongnu.org
- Duplicacy: https://duplicacy.com
- rsnapshot: https://rsnapshot.org
- GPT and operating system support: http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/
- PAE: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension
- Clonezilla download: http://www.clonezilla.org/downloads.php
- rsync: https://rsync.samba.org
- CYA documentation: https://github.com/cleverwise/cya
- SystemRescueCD: http://www.system-rescue-cd.org
- FSArchiver: http://www.fsarchiver.org
- qt-fsarchiver download: https://sourceforge.net/projects/qt-fsarchiver/files/
- Snapper download: https://software.opensuse.org/download/package?project=filesystems:snapper&package=snapper
- Snapper GUI: https://github.com/ricardomv/snapper-gui
« Previous 1 2 3
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
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.