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is the a tool for Ubuntu, either bootable from an external USB or in-OS, that would allow creating full-partition backup of the system, and restore it if needed to bring the system and all the files in exact same state.

Ideally I'd like it to be in-OS, or if bootable it should back up to the same USB as itself (the install in question is very small). For reference, I am using Paragon Backup and Recovery on Windows for smth similar, it supports both bootable and in OS (using shadow copy) mode.

Sergey
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    Rarely do you need to back up the system itself if you keep good notes (reinstall is often faster and easier), so your concern should generally be limited to backup of personal and project data. There are many great, flexible, robust backup options built right into the OS: dd, rsync, and deja-dup to name three. The latter even has a GUI - look for your 'backup' application. – user535733 May 06 '20 at 16:50
  • https://askubuntu.com/questions/569679/whats-a-good-back-up-strategy-for-1-desktop-pc/586172#586172 – Elder Geek May 07 '20 at 17:23

2 Answers2

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You can use Timeshift

I am sharing solution from this post:`

Why is Timeshift not on the official Ubuntu repos?

To briefly answer the question... it's because Timeshift is the work of a individual software developer.

Note: As of 19.04, it is in the repos now.

For those who don't know what Timeshift is...

The closest thing to a Windows-like restore point is by using Timeshift. I use it to save snapshots to an external USB hard drive. Although it can, it's normally not used for backing up your /home directory, just system-level changes. Use Backups (Déjà Dup) for backing up /home files.

Timeshift is a system restore utility which takes snapshots
of the system at regular intervals. These snapshots can be restored
at a later date to undo system changes. Creates incremental snapshots
using rsync or BTRFS snapshots using BTRFS tools.

More information at https://github.com/teejee2008/timeshift

For pre-19.04 add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa

And install it:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install timeshift

How to use: Follow instructions in Timeshift GUI

Ajay
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You can use Redo Backup for a full partition backup. It can be installed on a bootable CD or on a USB drive. To use it, you boot from the CD or USB and then pick the drives and/or partitions you want to back up. The same tool allows you to restore from your backups. Here is where you can get it for free: https://sourceforge.net/projects/redobackup/ I have used Redo to backup and restore my Windows laptop as well as my Ubuntu desktop systems. I also use deja dup for scheduled backups of my data directories on a daily basis (e.g.: /home.) I like to take a backup of my entire system drive monthly just in case the hard drive fails so I can restore it to a new hard drive without going through an installation process.

  • I just learned today that Redo has been brought back to life by a new developer. The new version is based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS so it may not run well on machines with older, Radeon video cards. (My P.C. has an RS880 [Radeon HD 4250] which went end-of-life after Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and cannot run Ubuntu 16.04.) You can download the newest Redo version here: { https://github.com/rescuezilla/rescuezilla/releases }. The new version is called Rescuezilla. –  May 25 '20 at 01:32