[Xen-users] RE: Cloning a Windows VM

["Artur Linhart - Linux communication" <AL.LINUX@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

        I think, this could be possible = If Zou copz ěGB "virtual disk" to
4 GB, then if You start windows, it should be reported just as a larger
physical disk and You can 
A. either create a new partition and use it:
  1.  directly 
        a, as a new partition mounted as some directory within NTFS 
        b, as a new partition with the "brand new" "disk letter" 
  or
  2. indirectly - in the case You would use Windows dynamic disk system, You
can just extend the Windows partition by the new partition (something a
little bit similar to PV concept in LVM under Linux)

B. or just extend the ntfs partition - this can be done 
        1. by some linux tool - as far as I remember I reduced the size of
the ntfs partition by gparted coming with ubuntu - so the extension should
be also possible, or 
        2. I have heard if You in cfdisk or other similar tool delete and
recreate the partition starting from the same position, the data will be not
deleted and the partition will contain the original file system...

        After You then boot into windows, There will be started scandisk
because the size remembered on the partition by windows does not correspond
with the new real partition size, but this should be no problem. (Only in
the case You already use windows dynamic disks I am not sure if it would be
possible)

        I personally tested only the waz with the resize of ntfs through
gparted, but I can imagine all the other ways I have heard about can do a
good and fast job.

        With regards

                Archie

        

-----Original Message-----
From: Ligesh [mailto:myself@xxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:22 PM
To: Artur Linhart - Linux communication
Cc: 'Xen Users'
Subject: Re: Cloning a Windows VM

On Thu, Jun 21, 2007 at 01:01:40AM +0200, Artur Linhart - Linux
communication wrote:
> Hello,
> 
>       Is it impossible just to create new logical volume of the same size
> with lvcreate and simply copy with dd all bytes from the old LV to the new
> one and only modify the configuration file to read from the new physical
> device? (or to create the modifiable snapshot logical volume) I think this
> could work - the partition itself should know nothing about the physical
> location where and how it really runs... Or am I wrong?
> 
>       With regards,
> 
>               Archie
> 

 That's the brute force method, which is what I am doing now. But it takes
too long, and you needlessly copy all the blanks in the file system to the
new location. Also, you need the ability to resize the partition, so that's
not a solution. For instance, I want to clone a 2GB windows into a 4GB lvm.
How do I go about it?

 Thanks for the response.


 

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