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oui

Member

Registered: 2017-09-02

Posts: 305  

after Refracta-Snapshot...

Hi

I have the need to reinstall my most big partition (size of last refracta-snapshot: 7,8 GB). As I don't will overwrite my (already damaged but yet working partition), I will try to install first time on a stick (or, if not possible on an other HD partition, but I would really prefer a stick even if it become slower: if it good work, I can repeat the same operation later on the actual real own partition of the system!).

All refracta-tools are already pre installed.

The 64 GB stick is empty. It contain a partition sdb1 with 30 GB to unpack this big 7,8 GB iso file.

What is to do?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did already try it using refractainstaller-gui. It was probably the wrong tool, as it did not ask for some Iso? But he did permit to see, that a lot of mist is in the actual: the system did long minutes run on a hidden dir ~/.cache/browser/Default/Cache/etc what can contain nothing really interesting. I did cancel the stupid process. But I have no 2 problems:

Problem 1:
In the future, I will avoid to copy such stupid enormous collections of informations but I did ignore until today her existence!

Problem 2:
I would really prefer to restart with the last version of my system without this stupids enormous ballast. Has linux adequate utilities usuable after the reinstallation, because I can not erase myself somewhat I don't know the existence!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An other question:

Probably is the error I did made that I didn't
- install the snapshot iso on a stick for ex. with refracta2usb
- restart with the stick, and after that
- with the live system started so from new stick
- use refracta-installer-GUI (is already on the stick as it is part of the initial system)
- to copy the live system into a different partition, on the hard disk or on a second disk.

I did not do it, because I would try to
- spare the long time needing to copy the big iso on the stick
- spare the long time needing to see, if I have success concerning the operation system itself
- and my data as well I can know then are present / working!
and only after that overwrite really actual version / snapshot version!

Last edited by oui (2023-03-29 21:19:59)

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,586  

Re: after Refracta-Snapshot...

If you boot a live-usb, refractainstaller will install the running system. It doesn't need to ask for an iso.

~/.cache is in the rsync excludes list. If yours got copied, then something is wrong. Check the excludes list - /usr/lib/refractasnapshot/snapshot_excludes.list and make sure other excluded items did not get copied. Add anything else here that you want excluded.

In the config file, /etc/refractasnapshot.conf are some options for using compression to make the iso file smaller. You might want to uncomment one of them if you have not already done so. (look for mksq_opt)

You should be able to install to a partition on another usb stick just the same as if you installed to a partition on a hard disk.

I would make a plain backup of my important files without trying to squeeze them into an iso file.

czeekaj

Member

Registered: 2019-06-12

Posts: 154  

Re: after Refracta-Snapshot...

While you boot, from Live. Recovery style.

Depending what version of Devuan. how you had the snap shot Configured.

Upgrade path from Beowulf to Daedaleaus has been a little bit of a learning experience.

I started right at ascii / jessie. Upgrade path was a little bit to learn. Like $PATH bugs. but drivers were always solid.

Couple bugs... I should of reported. But now are now in time are bugs for Old Stable.I am realizing now.
If you had a good minimal install. Is best starting point sometimes. But, EFI installing will be harder. And, will just not work on some new hardware without some hacking with bios.Or I just need to learn the grub console better. I know how to rebuild efi entries. But working with MBR and legacy boot I have learned more about how hard drives are working. Some have firmware differences. I had installed, on Devuan repositories mind you. fwupdate, Never found any updates. But it could see my hard drive. I ran a few commands and it could of changed something on the HDD firmware side. Maybe it can be enabled to auto update as well. Depending on how you boot or if cron is scheduled or something.

dd is a pretty useful tool. Working with a new format it's basically the first thing you should grab. Nuke your drive.all memory area's you want to focus.Can write a couple times. Gutman wipe is 38 times. But that's way more then you'd ever need.

Now depending on hardware. It's good to keep EFI. as EFI enabled live USB. Can boot on almost all hardware.
So it's a lot more bloated. And up upgrade path you'd have to update grub after minimal install and then save efi built USB to get a more minimal upgrade route.

But I remember Ascii. and Jessie. pmount then it got phased out because it's just so much easier to just use regular mount. It can mount almost every file system XFS enabled is a good idea when you are building an ISO. Keep that in your tool kit. Because if you don't have in your live iso. You have to build it from the Live boot. And again, I have had much more minimal success with./

Also I ended up with an ISO that was encrypted at boot. Which was pretty cool.
refracta2usb. Don't just dd it onto the drive. Start from minimal.

Install refracta vintage that is solid place to start. And update into mainline devuan. Is simple and quick. It's got everything pretty much by default for most hardware.

Last edited by czeekaj (2023-07-02 01:24:50)