On 2021-01-14 07:41, Jesper Dybdal wrote:
I backup my Buster server simply as a (compressed, encrypted) cpio archive.Restoring it to a BIOS-based machine is simple: boot a rescue cd, partition the disk, restore all files, fix fstab if necessary, run update-grub and grub-install in a chroot environment. That works.But if the machine should some day die and I can only find/buy a UEFI-only machine to restore it to, how do I do that? And are there any precautions I should take in advance (on the BIOS system, before creating backups that may be needed on a future UEFI system) in order to make it easier to restore to a UEFI machine?(My knowledge of UEFI is almost non-existent, and my knowledge of grub is very limited.)
I have a SOHO network with a few Debian workstations and a few FreeBSD servers, all still BIOS/MBR.
Backup/ restore is one thing and migration is another. cpio(1) is a tool for the former. Changing hardware/ firmware from BIOS to UEFI and partitioning scheme from MBR to GPT involve the latter, and require different tools and techniques.
Are you using a version control system (VCS) for system administration? If not, I recommend it. Version control is a huge improvement over ad-hoc methods and "sneaker net".
For each host, I create a VCS project and check out a working directory under the root account on that host. The project includes a text file with my system administration notes, a text file with a list of all installed packages, and any configuration files that I have modified or created. I also include anything else that might be of use, such as the output of various diagnostic tools.
To migrate, I do a fresh install of the chosen OS onto a blank disk in the new machine, install the VCS client, check out the old host project, create a new host project, and proceed to install packages, restore/ edit configuration files, connect data, etc.. Plan carefully, backup religiously, schedule an outage, and be prepared to back out/ restore if the migration fails.
David