Disaster recovery framework
Unwind
© Lead Image © lucato, 123RF.com
A simple Bash shell script can be a very powerful tool: Relax-and-Recover generates rescue media from running systems, takes care of backups, and helps when migrating computers to new hardware or converting to virtual machines.
If you are you looking to migrate the system and data on your sad, old laptop to a new device or you have a server that's been standing in the corner for years consuming electricity that would be better off as a virtual machine, the simple Relax-and-Recover [1] shell script can help. This disaster recovery framework for Linux licensed under GPLv2 creates rescue disks (USB sticks, CDs, PXE boot images) and saves the data – optionally in cooperation with an external backup solution.
During subsequent recovery of the data, the tool proves to be a flexible partner that also takes hardware changes into account. Relax-and-Recover is thus not just an emergency tool, it is also a useful migration tool. Physical computers thus become virtual machines through Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) migration; the way back to physical hardware with Virtual-to-Physical (V2P) migration is also possible, and you can even migrate from one virtualization solution to another through Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V).
Our test team worked on Debian 8 ("jessie") and Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) with Relax-and-Recover current stable version 1.17.2 and the latest version 1.18 from the GitHub repository (March 2016) [2]. We produced a rescue medium and a backup of a desktop computer. We also backed up a legacy server, combining the script with an external backup solution to do so. After this, the rescue systems and backups formed the basis for converting the physical hardware to virtual machines.
[...]
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
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.