PARTCLONE(8)

📦
version 0.3.27 · 3 versions
, in ubuntu noble

💖 PARTCLONE(8) — the Partclone User Manual 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the group chat where we clone and restore partitions like it's absolutely nothing. This is the manual page for partclone, part of the Partclone project. Let's get into it.

🌸 NAME 🌸

partclone — The utility for clone and restore a partition.

🌈 SYNOPSIS 🌈

partclone.[fstype] {[-c | --clone] [-r | --restore] [-b | --dev-to-dev]}
                   {[-s | --source] source}
                   {[[-o | --output] [-O | --overwrite]] target}
                   [[-dX | --debug=X] [--restore_raw_file] [-z | --buffer_size] [-N | --ncurses] [-q | --quiet] [-f | --UI-fresh] [-F | --force] [-I | --ignore_fschk] [-i | --ignore_crc] [-C | --nocheck] [-R | --rescue] [-L | --logfile] logfile [-R | --rescue] [-L | --logfile] logfile [-X | --compresscmd] [-D | --domain] [--offset_domain] [-aX | --checksum-mode=X] [-kX | --blocks-per-checksum=X] [-K | --no-reseed] [-w | --skip_write_error] [-E | --offset=X] [-T | --btfiles] [-t | --btfiles_torrent] [-n | --note] [-B | --no_block_detail] [--write-direct-io] [--read-direct-io]]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

partclone.[fstype] is a part of the Partclone project. Partclone provides utilities to back up used blocks and is designed for higher compatibility with the file system by using existing libraries — for example, e2fslibs is used to read the used blocks of an ext2 partition.

Partclone supported file systems include btrfs, ext2, ext3, ext4, reiserfs, reiser4, xfs and jfs for LINUX. It also supports some non-Linux operating systems, ex: NTFS, FAT and EXFAT (for Windows), HFS plus (APPLE MAC OS), UFS2 (FreeBSD), VMFS (VMWare Vsphere) and MINIX (MINIX3).

All partclone utils could be run like partclone.[fstype] is very similar to fsck or mkfs. For example, for backup/restore hfsplus, just run partclone.hfsp.

Here's the matching vibe:

  • btrfs — partclone.btrfs
  • ext2, ext3, ext4 — partclone.[ext2 | ext3 | ext4]
  • reiserfs 3.5 — partclone.reiserfs
  • reiser 4 — partclone.reiser4
  • xfs — partclone.xfs
  • ufs | ufs2 — partclone.ufs
  • jfs — partclone.jfs
  • hfs plusfs — partclone.[hfs+ | hfsplus]
  • vmfs — partclone.[vmfs | vmfs5]
  • ntfs — partclone.ntfs
  • fat12, fat16, fat32 — partclone.[fat12 | fat16 | fat32]
  • exfat — partclone.exfat
  • minix — partclone.minix
  • f2fs — partclone.f2fs
  • nilfs2 — partclone.nilfs2
  • apfs — partclone.apfs
  • others (Not Supported FS) — partclone.imager

💅 OPTIONS 💅

The program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (-). A summary of options is included below.

  • -s FILE, --source FILE — Source FILE. The FILE could be a image file (made by partclone) or device depend on your action. Normally, backup source is device, restore source is image file.

Receiving data from pipe line is supported ONLY for restoring, just ignore -s option or use - means receive data from stdin.

  • -o FILE, --output FILE — Output FILE. The FILE could be a image file (partclone will generate) or device depend on your action. Normally, backup output to image file and restore output to device.

Sending data to pipe line is also supported ONLY for back-up, just ignore -o option or use - means send data to stdout.

  • -O FILE, --overwrite FILE — Overwrite FILE, overwriting if exists.
  • -c, --clone — Save partition to the special image format.
  • -r, --restore — Restore partition from the special image format.
  • -b, --dev-to-dev — Local device to device copy on-the-fly, source and output both are device.
  • -D, --domain — Create GNU Ddrescue domain log file from source device. This is a human readable file in which + marks used block areas and ? marks free areas.
  • --offset_domain=X — Add X (in bytes) to all positions reported in the domain log file
  • --restore_raw_file — Creating special raw file for loop device.
  • -L FILE, --logfile FILE — put special path to record partclone log information. (default /var/log/partclone.log)
  • -R, --rescue — Continue after disk read errors.
  • -C, --no_check — Don't check device size and free space.
  • -N, --ncurses — Using Ncurses Text User Interface.
  • -I, --ignore_fschk — Ignore filesystem check.
  • -i, --ignore_crc — Ignore crc check error.
  • -F, --force — Force progress.
  • -f sec, --UI-fresh sec — put special second to different interval.
  • -z size, --buffer_size size — Read/write buffer size (default: 1048576)
  • -q, --quiet — Disable progress message.
  • -dlevel, --debug level — Set the debug level [1|2|3]
  • -x, --compresscmd CMD — Start CMD as an output pipe to compress the cloned image
  • -aX, --checksum-mode=X — Checksum formula to use to add error detection

where X:

  • 0: No checksum (no slowdown, smallest image)
  • 1: CRC32 (Fast to compute, basic detection)
  • -kX, --blocks-per-checksum=X — Write one checksum for every X blocks
  • -w, --skip_write_error — Continue restore while write errors
  • --write-direct-io — Writing data to TARGET partition without cache
  • --read-direct-io — Reading data from SOURCE partition without cache
  • -B, --no_block_detail — Show progress message without block detail
  • -E, --offset=X — Add offset X (bytes) to OUTPUT
  • -T, --btfiles — Restore block as file for ClonezillaBT.
  • -t, --btfiles_torrent — Restore block as file for ClonezillaBT but only generate torrent.
  • -n, --note NOTE — Display Message Note (128 words).
  • -h, --help — Show summary of options.
  • -v, --version — Show version of program.
also, the synopsis above shows -K, --no-reseed — the original OPTIONS list doesn't give it a separate description here.

🎀 FILES 🎀

  • /var/log/partclone.log — The log file of partclone

🌟 EXAMPLES 🌟

clone /dev/hda1 to hda1.img and display debug information.
  partclone.ext3 -c -d -s /dev/hda1 -o hda1.img

restore /dev/hda1 from hda1.img and display debug information.
  partclone.extfs -r -d -s hda1.img -o /dev/hda1

restore image from clonezilla (split, gzip,) with stdin source
  cat sda1.ext3-ptcl-img.gz.a* | gunzip -c | partclone.ext3 -d -r -s - -o /dev/sda1

😭 DIAGNOSTICS 😭

The following diagnostics may be issued on stderr:

partclone provides some return codes, that can be used in scripts:

  • 0 — Program exited successfully.
  • 1 — Clone or Restore seem failed.

💀 BUGS 💀

Report bugs to thomas@clonezilla.org or http://partclone.org.

You can get support at http://partclone.org

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

partclone(8), partclone.chkimg(8), partclone.restore(8), partclone.dd(8), partclone.info(8)

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Yu-Chin Tsai <thomas@clonezilla.org>

Copyright © 2007 Yu-Chin Tsai

This manual page was written for the Debian system (and may be used by others).

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Version 2 or (at your option) any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL.

and that's the whole thing, bestie! 💖 This was partclone, manual page PARTCLONE(8), dated 04/01/2024 (source/version partclone). Stay iconic, no cap. 💅🦋

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