Ubuntu Migration Question

[DaddyHoggy]

I've just posted this on the Ubuntu forums but I thought perhaps I could ask it here too:

Basics:

1x 80GB HD with 40GB Gutsy Gibbon partition with two user accounts (my own and my wife's) + 40GB XP partition

1x 'spare' 80GB HD

2x 'spare' 40GB HDs

Plan:

To upgrade from Gutsy Gibbon to Karmic Koala and give it an 80GB HD of its own (and to give my XP partition an 80GB HD of its own)

To do this I plan on using a copy of Acronis True image to back-up two 40GB images on to 2 40GB HDs

Install Karmic on the 'spare' 80GB HD and then copy back what I want off the original 40GB Gutsy partition (now copied to a separate 40GB HD so I can expand my original XP into the full 80GB of original 80GB disk (the back up of XP on to other 40GB HD is just in case it all goes wrong!).

However, this is where I'm on dodgy ground and would like some help:

/home - if I simply copy the /home dir from the Gutsy disk to the new Karmic disk is that enough to restore all my local files and settings (it will be used in the same machine so settings should be OK (shouldn't they?!) i.e. all my docs, music, photos videos, emails (I use Evolution) and Firefox settings (and those of my wife). If this is a 'yes' then that's good and half the battle! If 'no' or 'sort of' what do I need to do? The second part of my query is that I've installed quite a few apps (as has my wife) - games, OpenOffice, VLC, GIMP and loads of stuff I can't even recall at the moment! So my secondary question is: Where do they live - and can they be easily moved without being reinstalled? (I don't mind upgrading once they've moved - some stuff (such as VLC) won't upgrade under Gutsy (but that's a different noob question for another day).

Any help very much appreciated - because if I break this - my better half with throttle me!

[CptnEcho]

I imagine it would be easier to copy the files which need backing up to another hard drive on an already working computer that has compatible operating systems and file systems for the relevant data. Then transfer the data via a Local Area Network connection after you've installed/upgraded to the new hard-drives.

Another idea...
Remove current hard drives, install new hard drives in their places and then "slave" the old hard drives inside the same computer case. Then install the new operating systems into the new hard drives. The idea is that the new operating systems will "see" the old operating systems on the older hard drives and ask you if you want to keep (i.e. migrate) the old O.S. settings, hardware drivers and other necessary data.
I know this option works in Windows XP, but I don't know if this works for Ubuntu or any other Linux flavor.

As always, there's an element of risk.

[Micha]

I believe Karmic has a mirgrate/import option (I didn't use it) for user accounts from another install.

As for copying your installed programs across, I wouldn't try. Just re-installed from scratch. Programs in Linux tend to have their various bits and pieces distributed throughout the filesystem (programs and libraries in /usr/bin and /usr/lib, documents in /usr/doc, logs in /var/log, and possibly any shareable assets such as icons in /usr/share). So not easy to move. Also not suggested since the package manager then won't keep track of them and hence can't update them.


As an alternative to a fresh install followed by migrating your data/settings/programs across, you could copy your existing Gutsy install onto your new 80GiB drive and then perform a 'dist-upgrade' - this will then keep everything and automatically perform upgrades where necessary. This may or may not be an option from Gutsy, you'll need to check - it certainly was from Intrepid.

[DaddyHoggy]

I believe Karmic has a mirgrate/import option (I didn't use it) for user accounts from another install.

As for copying your installed programs across, I wouldn't try. Just re-installed from scratch. Programs in Linux tend to have their various bits and pieces distributed throughout the filesystem (programs and libraries in /usr/bin and /usr/lib, documents in /usr/doc, logs in /var/log, and possibly any shareable assets such as icons in /usr/share). So not easy to move. Also not suggested since the package manager then won't keep track of them and hence can't update them.


As an alternative to a fresh install followed by migrating your data/settings/programs across, you could copy your existing Gutsy install onto your new 80GiB drive and then perform a 'dist-upgrade' - this will then keep everything and automatically perform upgrades where necessary. This may or may not be an option from Gutsy, you'll need to check - it certainly was from Intrepid.

Thanks Micha - to go from Gutsy to Karmic using the dist-upgrade option, I'd have to upgrade to Intrepid first and then upgrade to Karmic (I already checked).

If there's a migrate option that would be cool - I'll just slave up the other 80GB disk and let Karmic find the 40GB Gutsy Partition - but reinstalling all my apps - hmmmm, best set aside some serious time for this then (Oolite being the least of my worries!)