Clone système to new ssd - pitfalls?

[rooman]

I think it will be fairly simple to clone principal partitions to a new ssd with Clonezilla, are there any pitfalls or traps to look out for?

[morgano]

Short answer: Yes.
For a more detailed answer we need to know more:
Are you copying a whole disk or just partitions?
What operating system(s)?

[wintpe]

there are pitfalls, ive done this lots of times.

its also the method i use to back up my systems.

biggest pitfull if you are going from a spinning disk to a ssd is size usually.

clonezilla has an expert option on restore that you need to select when downsizing a disk.

easiest thing would be to empty the partitions you dont want after moving it somewhere else.

clone the disk, then use the expert option to make it fit the new SSD.

once you have done that enable there wear limiting options in fstab mount options and use tempfs for things like /tmp, /var/tmp

also implement a regular fstrim on the SSD partitions.

regards peter

[rooman]

Latest M6 desktop on a hdd.
I was thinking of transferring only system partitions to a new ssd so as to speed up boot and applications. Personal stuff, photos, letters etc will stay on hdd.
What do you think? a 250Gb should suffice?

[doktor5000]

Depends how much space you need for /home ...
For casual usage and no dual-boot even a 64GB SSD should suffice.

[morgano]

On my workstation i have pretty much installed including all big DE, and adding all partitions except /home and swap it is around 30 GB total. So 64 GB is more than enough, but probably not much cheaper than a 256 GB, and then probably the 256GB is faster

[doktor5000]

If you're using an SSD and don't have /home on it, then that is 50% wasted potential.

[jiml8]

I agree that a 64GB is more than sufficient for a system - even a very big system - if the boot and the system is all you put on it.

On my workstation I am running 2 512GB SSDs, as well as a 3TB and a 4TB hard drive for local archives and stuff I don't use every day. On one SSD I have my system as well as a separate partition that has /tmp and /var symlinked to it, and on the other SSD I have /home. My system partition is 28GB and 21GB of that is in use - and I have a big complicated system (though, as I said, /var is not kept on that system partition).

The balance of the space on both SSDs is taken up by virtual machines, including the list of VMs that I use daily or at least frequently. Presently one SSD is 80% full and the other is 60% full - but I just cleaned a couple of VMs I no longer use off of that one to make space for new stuff.

Both SSDs have been in place for about 3 years now. Both are trimmed nightly. The one with the system on it shows a wear leveling count of 18, the one with /home on it shows a wear leveling count of 40. Both are rated for 100.

This system has proven both fast and reliable for me.

[rooman]

system end /Home on two separate ssd, is an idea that appeals to me, thanks jim18