TIPS IncrediblePBX 13-13 Won't boot after restoring partition with partimage

domiflichi

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Hello,

I'll try to keep this from being another really long post, so here's the gist:

I built a new computer a few months ago. Installed IncrediblePBX 13-13. Ran updates, set up free Google Voice calling, extensions, voicemail-to-email and a few other 'PBX' related things.

Shortly before I was done configuring everything in the new PBX , I used a program called 'partimage' from a live SystemRescue CD to save a partition image of the IncrediblePBX's main partition onto an external hard drive. I do this all the time on my Windows workstations here at work to save me the hassle of re-installing and re-configuring software if the hard drive crashes or something else disastrous.

Anyway, I've been doing all kinds of things fighting with DAHDi and my analog Digium cards (see my other forum post - https://pbxinaflash.com/community/t...t-doesnt-actually-seem-to-be-installed.22541/) and am worried that I made a mess of things. I've come to the conclusion that the older of my 2 cards is going bad so I'm only going to try and use the newer of my 2 cards and buy a new Sangoma 4-port FXO analog gateway (we have 6 phone lines to accommodate). My point here is that I'd like to 'undo' all the stuff I've been doing with DAHDi and go back to a more 'clean' state of how things were before I started messing around with all this DAHDi stuff.

What I did to get back to a 'clean state' is restore the main partition on the PBX from the partimage file that I created prior to messing with DAHDi. Everything seemed to have gone fine (the 'restore'), but when I rebooted, I got a 'kernel panic' and it didn't seem to want to boot. I don't understand why it's doing this. Here's a screenshot I took with my phone of the 'console monitor':

http://64.85.235.200/images/misc/IncrediblePBX13-13KernelPanicAfterPartimageRestore.jpg

As I mentioned earlier, I've done this kind of thing (partition image 'saves' and 'restores' with partimage) for Windows machines and it always works. Is there something different about Linux that would cause this?
 

domiflichi

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Well, I've still got the same problem, but have some more info for anyone interested.

During my one of many re-installs of IncrediblePBX 13-13, I noticed the part where it says 'creating ext4 filesystem' (or something like that). Well, I went to partimage's website, partimage.org and noticed that ext4 is not supported. I vaguely remembered something like that and that confirmed it. The thing is, when I use partimage on this system, it's always saying that the file system is ext3 so I never thought anything of it until I saw that message during the IncrediblePBX install.

To verify that it is actually ext4, I went into GParted, and yup, it's reported as ext4. So I don't know why all this time partimage was letting me save the partition just fine, then all of a sudden it won't.

Next I was talking to Google about it and Google said maybe try fsarchiver as that supports ext4. So I did try it - it saved the partition just fine with no errors...so far so good. Then I did the restore...no errors. Reboot, Kernel Panic! :( (as far as I can tell, it's the same exact message too)

There's got to be something about Linux I don't know here that's causing this...I'm just too ignorant about Linux to know what to even look for. Maybe someone has an idea that can point me in the right direction.
 

Eliad

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for hard drive imaging I use Clonezilla and so far never failed me and it is free.
I am a bit paranoid about cloud based solutions and I prefer to have control.
I do experiment with my system all the time and because of that I use a virtual machine installed in Proxmox. You can take snapshoots and also can do backup. If you have 2 proxmox servers then you can do replications of the VM. If you have 3 proxmox servers you can do High Availability. Proxmox tries to make you fork a lot of money for support but you do not have too. You can activate non subscription depository but has to be done manually. I really like it.
 

tycho

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Another vote for Clonezilla for imaging (non-VM, at least) Linux installations. I've always used it for my local hardware and it has always worked, no matter what I throw at it. I've reinstalled the images and =they= have always worked. I've used it on desktops, embedded devices, thumbdrive installations (SD cards and USB sticks for my PogoMobile and Dockstar...)
 

domiflichi

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Well, I looked into the type of backup that wardmundy provided a link for. Right off the bat I'm confused about the whole thing being only for 'cloud-based severs'. What exactly constitutes a cloud-based server? Just being connected to the Internet? I didn't see anything special about what was being described as far as extra cloud-software or something, but I'm not sure. I do like the sound of it though.

I also looked into Clonezilla and did a bunch of tests saving and restoring an image of the drive and every single time it restored perfectly!

Thanks for the suggestions. Depending on the one Ward suggested - whether there has to be something special about the server or if it's just a matter of being connected to the Internet, I may use both solutions.
 

Eliad

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I am glad Clonezila did the job. I use it for imaging and restoring WIndows machines too.
When Ward is referring to a cloud base he is referring to a Virtual Machine installation hosted by a provider off your site.
 

domiflichi

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Ooohhh. I see. Well that counts me out. We've got our server running on bare metal in-house. Thanks for the clarification Eliad!
 

Eliad

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I have in house server too, I am too paranoid to trust somebody to host my system. to do the same backup and restore on the fly you could use an in house virtual machine. I use Proxmox and I like it. They do push to buy support subscription which is expensive but you do not have to buy it.
 

tycho

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I, similarly, run multiple hobby PBXs, both local hardware and "in-the-cloud." Given that it's just me and my girlfriend in the house (and given that she only uses her cell) what I have is uber-overkill, but it's fun to tinker. My needs are met these days with a dedicated Dockstar embedded-device PBX; a "Cloud-at-Cost" server (hey, laugh all you want, mine has proven to be "reliable enough" for my needs) and my old-standby-never-fails PBXes.com installation.
 

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