[mdlug] New computer

[Aaron Kulkis]

Adam Tauno Williams wrote:
> On Fri, 2014-08-08 at 01:44 -0400, Aaron Kulkis wrote:
>> Garry Stahl wrote:
>>> On 08/07/2014 09:25 PM, Adam Tauno Williams wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 2014-08-07 at 19:07 -0400, Garry Stahl wrote:
>>>>> I have a heartbeat.  I'm burning the openSuse 13.1 disk right now.
>>>>> I need to move the /home directory from Phoenix to the yet to be named
>>>>> machine.  This never works as well as I would like.
>>>>> This time the new box shares no components with Phoenix.  Both are fully
>>>>> functional.
>>>>> Suggestions, offers of help, marriage, other?
>>>> Attach removable storage, backup /home.  Install on new machine.  Attach
>>>> removable media, restore /home.
>>> I might have a spare driver big enough. Yea home is 378 gig, I have
>> a couple of 500s rolling around.
>>>> Or install on the new machine and rsync across a network from the old
>>>> machine to the new machine - WHEN NOT LOGGED IN AS THE USER.
>>> I should be root on both machines?  Why does that matter?
>> So that you're not modifying any files while the restore is in progress.
>
> Yep.
>
> And AFAIK all modern Desktop Environments use memory-mapped and/or
> journalized configuration and meta-data recording files. You cannot just
> "copy 'em back" while they are active.  You'll just make a mess; it may
> seem like it works at first, then you'll have problems, then you'll
> think the system is 'broken' or 'unstable', you'll write BLOG posts
> about the PITA that the LINUX desktop is, you'll file useless bug
> reports, you will reinstall to try to fix it [and then make the exact
> same mistake]....   Just don't mess with anything other than regular old
> documents while you are logged it unless you really [really!] know what
> you are doing - I mean, who logs into windows and just starts randomly
> cut-n-pasting chunks of the registry around?  Or just, hey, I'll restart
> a few of these services...  But somehow on LINUX doing the equivalent
> should be A-OK and if it messes something up - then the software is
> broken.
>
> Sorry, that became a rant.
>

Backup and restore should only be done in either single-user runlevel,
or at least with ALL interactive users logged off.  But that's comparatively
dangerous, because mail handler, etc. are still running, which is NOT
the way to do backups or restores if you want them done correctly.

>> For example, shell history, would just get over-written.
>> There are other such files, but that's just an example.
>
>