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pichlo is offline pichlo
2013-01-07 , 23:10
Posts: 6,349 | Thanked: 20,680 times | Joined on Sep 2012 @ UK
#1
The title say is all. I bought a second N900 on eBay and thought it would be a groovy idea to make it an exact duplicate of my main one as a backup. How should I go about it? I've already found that a BackupMenu backup of one refreshed on the other is asking for trouble
 

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raaj13 is offline raaj13
2013-01-08 , 03:15
Posts: 404 | Thanked: 186 times | Joined on Oct 2010 @ Dehradun,India
#2
well not exactly its trouble if you backup only rootfs or optfs and restore it on other.
If you backup both rootfs and optfs and flash it on other n900 there should be no problem.
 

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Acurus_ is offline Acurus_
2013-01-08 , 05:05
Posts: 209 | Thanked: 156 times | Joined on Jun 2012
#3
I make it in this way:

1. Use backupmenu on your first N900 and make a backup (rootfs and optfs).
2. Flash your second N900 with Nokia's firmware.
3. Install backupmenu.
4. Important: If you are running Power Kernel on your first N900, install the same Power Kernel Version on your second N900.
5. Copy every Folder (the folders without a "." in front of) from your first N900 to your second N900.
6. Start backupmenu on your second N900 and use restore (rootfs and optfs). After finishing, you have a duplicate!
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Last edited by Acurus_; 2013-01-08 at 05:24.
 

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pichlo is offline pichlo
2013-01-09 , 10:25
Posts: 6,349 | Thanked: 20,680 times | Joined on Sep 2012 @ UK
#4
Yeah, I think I failed on #4. I thought they were the same kernels but in retrospect, I think one was v52 an the other v51r1 The result was an unbootable system. A fiasco reflash fixed it, but then I found icons on the desktop that were a merge of what was on the second device before and a copy of what was on the first device, indicating that the restore did not wipe the optfs before restoring the backup. So I tried flashing vanilla but that failed. I will try again when (if) I get out of this pickle.

But I still have three questions:
1. Why is it important to install the same kernel? I though (naively, as it turns out) that restoring from the backup would overwrite the entire contents of rootfs, including the kernel.
2. Why do I need to copy the folders? Yet again, I would imagine that the restore would take care of that.
3. Why does the restore not wipe the partition first?
 

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reinob is offline reinob
2013-01-09 , 13:55
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#5
Originally Posted by pichlo View Post
But I still have three questions:
1. Why is it important to install the same kernel? I though (naively, as it turns out) that restoring from the backup would overwrite the entire contents of rootfs, including the kernel.
2. Why do I need to copy the folders? Yet again, I would imagine that the restore would take care of that.
3. Why does the restore not wipe the partition first?
1. kernel and the rootfs are two of the partitions in the NAND chip. rootfs != NAND. Backupmenu backs up (presumably) rootfs, but not the kernel, not NOLO, not oops partition, etc.

2 and 3 don't know. I don't use backupmenu.

I have also thought about how to best keep my N900s synchronized. For now I haven't done it because each one has a different "use case".

In any case, my plan is to have a backup of each stored on a computer (or NAS or whatever) using rsync. Then I could apply changes on the rsync'd folder on the computer and then rsync again to apply the changes to the N900.

In order to apply settings/changes from one N900 to another N900 you could "easily" do it on the mirrored copies (i.e. with the advantage of a full Linux, full/big screen, full/big keyboard, fancy tools/scripts, etc.) and then just sync back.

rsync'ing from N900 to a PC should work without a problem. rsync'ing back might be a problem if you want to replace open files/programs, but for that you have backupmenu anyway (or a similar "rescue" system allowing USB networking).
 

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sixwheeledbeast is offline sixwheeledbeast
2013-01-09 , 16:19
Posts: 2,280 | Thanked: 4,121 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ England
#6
Originally Posted by pichlo View Post
Why is it important to install the same kernel?
I don't use backupmenu eithier.
However I know people have reported that if you are not on the same KP version, you get a boot looping device.
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pichlo's Avatar
pichlo is offline pichlo
2013-01-10 , 00:20
Posts: 6,349 | Thanked: 20,680 times | Joined on Sep 2012 @ UK
#7
Originally Posted by reinob View Post
1. kernel and the rootfs are two of the partitions in the NAND chip. rootfs != NAND. Backupmenu backs up (presumably) rootfs, but not the kernel, not NOLO, not oops partition, etc.
Of course! The eMMC is partitioned, why did I not realize that the NAND is too? "Embarrassed" probably best describes my feelings right now

In order to apply settings/changes from one N900 to another N900 you could "easily" do it on the mirrored copies (i.e. with the advantage of a full Linux, full/big screen, full/big keyboard, fancy tools/scripts, etc.) and then just sync back.
That's a good idea, thanks. I'd also been thinking how to keep them synced after the initial duplication. Contact lists are easy, but how about the miriads of other settings?

Anyway it is kinda academic as my second device is still little more than a paperweight

Originally Posted by sixwheeledbeast View Post
I don't use backupmenu eithier.
However I know people have reported that if you are not on the same KP version, you get a boot looping device.
Add me to the list of reports. I broke the boot loop by flashing but... see post #4.
Last edited by pichlo; 2013-01-10 at 00:24.
 
Ken-Young's Avatar
Ken-Young is offline Ken-Young
2013-01-10 , 00:34
Posts: 387 | Thanked: 1,700 times | Joined on Feb 2010 @ Cambridge, MA, USA
#8
Originally Posted by sixwheeledbeast View Post
I don't use backupmenu eithier.
However I know people have reported that if you are not on the same KP version, you get a boot looping device.
Yes, this is definitely true. I use backupmenu (it's great!) and I've made this mistake and gotten the backup loop problem.
 

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misiak is offline misiak
2013-01-10 , 00:44
Posts: 803 | Thanked: 1,594 times | Joined on Feb 2010 @ Gdynia, Poland
#9
i think the reboot loop while on different kernel is caused by lack of kernel modules in /lib/modules. Imagine a situation:
- first N900 has kernel power 51r1
- second N900 has different kernel (cssu, or other version of kp... I think it would work if second N900 would have stock kernel)
you create a copy of rootfs and optfs of first N900, then you override rootfs and optfs of second N900 with it.
result: in /lib/modules you have only modules for stock and kp 51v1 kernels. If you try to boot e.g. kp 52 - oops, no modules found, reboot loop.

feel free to correct me if I'm wrong
 

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reinob is offline reinob
2013-01-10 , 08:04
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#10
Originally Posted by misiak View Post
feel free to correct me if I'm wrong
Nope. You're absolutely right
 

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