In case that there are several devices which have to be set up identically (e.g. RPis, Nucs, ...), it might be helpful to just clone memory disks, once the first one is set up completely. Clonezilla is a tool, addressing exactly this. The following describes one way of using Clonezilla which has proven itself for our purposes.
Clonezilla is an operating system and can thus be used via a bootable USB-stick. In the CPM Lab you will find a black one which contains this already. (PICTURE)
In this explanation, one SD-card will be cloned to another one directly. Consequently, both SD-cards have to be plugged in at the same time. Because you will need to specify which of them is the source and which the target, you need to identify them clearly. For that purpose, plug them into the computer and open Disks (Ubuntu). Their names will be the same in Linux and Clonezilla.
Note: Something like sdc is NOT the name of the device. This one changes dependent on the order in which the devices are plugged in. |
To start Clonezilla you might have to change some properties in the BIOS. Plug in the USB-Stick containing Clonezilla and start the computer. You will get into the BIOS by pressing F2.
If you want to exit Clonezilla in the start menu, switch to console by entering "c" and then enter "exit". (The next OS specified in the Boot Sequence of the BIOS will start.) |
After Clonezilla has been started successfully, you have to navigate through the "submenus" it consists of. Choose
poweroff
All data, which was saved at the target device, will be lost afterwards! |
Finally, confirm everything (warnings, and clone of boot loader) with y.
Depending on the size of the devices the cloning process will take up to a few hours.