G4L
G4L is a hard disk and partition imaging and cloning tool. The created images are optionally compressed, and they can be stored on a local hard drive or transferred to an anonymous FTP server. A drive can be cloned using the "Click'n'Clone" function. G4L supports file splitting if the local filesystem does not support writing files >2GB. The included kernel supports ATA, serial-ATA, and SCSI drives. Common network cards are supported. It is packaged as a bootable CD image with an ncurses GUI for easy use.
| Tags | Recovery Tools Internet FTP Archiving backup Mirroring Operating Systems Linux Distributions Floppy-Based Systems Administration |
|---|---|
| Licenses | GPL |
| Operating Systems | POSIX Linux Mac OS X Windows |
Recent releases
- 19 May 2009 00:29
Changes: This release has been converted from Fedora 8 to Fedora 10 libraries and programs. It uses syslinux 3.80 (bugfixes) and adds syslinux hdt (Hardware Test) 0.33. It uses kernel 2.6.29.3 and BusyBox 1.13.4. An updated g4l script adds udpcast options, and there are some new menu functions. Thekernels bz25 - bz29.3 have been recompiled to include CIFS. A CIFS (Samba) option has been added to the local menu. Basic MBR backup has been added to the Network and Local menus. MBR and EBR backup options have been added.
- 10 Feb 2009 14:53
Changes: The 0.28 update included updates to the Linux kernels of 2.6.27 and above that removed things that appeared to be unnecessary, or at least had recommendations to exclude if in doubt, but this appears to have caused problems with USB keyboards. This version update includes rebuilds of all the 2.6.27 and above kernels with the configuration previously used for 2.6.26. It also uses syslinux 3.73.
- 10 Feb 2009 14:51
Changes: The 0.28 update included updates to the Linux kernels of 2.6.27 and above that removed things that appeared to be unnecessary, or at least had recommendations to exclude if in doubt, but this appears to have caused problems with USB keyboards. This version update includes rebuilds of all the 2.6.27 and above kernels with the configuration previously used for 2.6.26. It also uses syslinux 3.73.
- 13 Jan 2009 11:11
Changes: busybox 1.13.2 and syslinux 3.73 pre 7 were included. Applets were cleaned up. updcast was updated. The kernel was updated to version 2.6.27.10, and 2.6.28 was added. chkldd was added for checking libraries. Programs were moved to match with the location on Fedora 8. Fedora's dd and gzip are now used again because of speed issues. grub4dos is used to run g4l from NTFS partitions. An option to use the run="command" from grub was added to g4lmenu.
- 13 Jan 2009 11:10
Changes: busybox 1.13.2 and syslinux 3.73 pre 7 were included. Applets were cleaned up. updcast was updated. The kernel was updated to version 2.6.27.10, and 2.6.28 was added. chkldd was added for checking libraries. Programs were moved to match with the location on Fedora 8. Fedora's dd and gzip are now used again because of speed issues. grub4dos is used to run g4l from NTFS partitions. An option to use the run="command" from grub was added to g4lmenu.
- All comments
Recent commentsReleased verson 0.30.
Latest changes with 0.30
Converted from Fedora 8 to Fedora 10 libraries and programs
syslinux 3.80 (Bug Fixes) added syslinux hdt (Hardware Test) 0.33
Kernels 2.6.29.3
busybox-1.13.4
Frank submitted updated g4l script that adds
udpcast options and make some menu functions.
Recompiled kernels bz25 - bz29.3 to include cifs
Adding CIFS (SAMBA) option to local menu
Added basic MBR backup to Network and Local Menu
Added MBR and EBR backup option.
Continued:
Have started working with 3 students on a special project with
the main ideal of updating documentation to the current level
and develope a g4l-lite that includes only default kernel and
ramdisk.gz and tools to add g4l via grub4dos, grub, or syslinux.
Students.
Devin Madrangchar * Wenifred Fasong * Julie Fenom
Re: wrong free space...
Glad to hear it worked.
Re: wrong free space...
Thanks for the feedback. Have used gparted and it worked...
Re: No joy with newest HP laptop hardware
Is that with all kernels including the latest git?
ftp://amd64gcc.dyndns.org/g4l-v0.30alpha15.iso
That is the latest version I have that includes the latest git kernels. Sometimes that has updates to support newer hardware.
I generally recommend the latest released kernel, but it if doesn't work trying the git kernel or older kernels. Sometimes one works and others don't. That is why I include a number of kernels, so hopefully at least one supports the hardware.
Re: Problems restoring over ftp
Unfortunately, this has always turned out to be that the new disk is smaller than the original. Even if the disk are exactly the same. I have a Lab of 20 computers, and they are all the same, but one machines disk reports it as having 9726 tracks instead of the 9729 of all the others. Another lab has 6 disks of the 20 with various sizes.
I would suspect that fdisk -l on both the original disk and the new one.
Now what can be done. In my case, I used the smaller disk as the source and that works fine. I can copy those larger disks to the smaller disk later, and if fails since the disk is smaller, but since those last 3 tracks are not part of any partition, the disk will work.
Have you tried booting the disk after the image? If the space is unused. It might work, and do a scan on the disk.
You could do resize of the original partition with something like gparted to make it the same size or smaller as the partition on the new disk, and then do the restore.