[Solved] How to clone an existing Raspberry Pi installation?

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#1

Hi there!

First post here.
I’m running Volumio 1.5 on Raspberry Pi B+ and HifiBerry DAC+, as UPnP renderer controlled by BubbleUPnP.
twitter.com/Rouquemoute/status/ … 0472793089

I did a bit of tweaking (MPD upgrade, etc) and it works like a charm.
It works so well that I consider buying more hardware and clone my Volumio setup so that I can enjoy multiple UPnP renderers at home.

Is there a way to do it?
I’m guessing it’s not as simple as copying the microSD content to another one, is it?
Is it possible to create an img file out of an existing Volumio installation, or do I need to start from scratch?

Thanks & Cheers!

#2

Okay that was a newbie question.
It’s easy to do it with Win32DiskImager.

#3

No. Win32DiskImager don’t do it with Volumio. Checked. This does not work.

#4

Win 32 Disk Imager works for me (http://www.chip.de/downloads/Win32-Disk-Imager_46121030.html)
you can also use one of these:
USB Image Tool (my favorite) http://www.chip.de/downloads/USB-Image-Tool_32115152.html
Image USB http://www.chip.de/downloads/ImageUSB_61096110.html

#5

Win32DiskImager works for me too. A few caveats, though.

First, when you copy the image to a .img file on your PC the file will be padded to make it the same size as the SD card. Plan accordingly. Be careful that file Explorer is not pointing to the SD card when you eject it or it may be corrupted. Also, make sure your other Volumios are shut down when you bring up the new one. Give it a unique name before cranking up any others. I have 3 running which have been cloned this way. Good luck!

#6

Thanks for the comments and pointers !

#7

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that Win32DiskImager works fine indeed for cloning purposes.

I started from a [Raspberry B+ / HifiBerry DAC+ / Ethernet] setup and copied the microSD card image to my PC with Win32DiskImager.

Then I flashed another microSD card (same capacity, same brand, same model) with this image file.
I used this microSD for another slightly different system based on [Raspberry B+ / HifiBerry Digi+ / Edimax EW-7811UN].

After configuring the WiFi and changing the hostname, this second system works perfectly.

#8

What’s the proper way to clone an existing Volumio installation so that you don’t have to create fresh installs and install all plugins/settings all over again?

I tried copying the image to a new sd card and inserted it into a new Pi.
It booted up and worked fine. Then I went in and changed the Player Name and Wired network settings to Automatic IP so that I get a new IP then restarted the cloned Pi. It work fine with new IP.

When I started up the original Volumio Pi, I noticed that none of the Pis displayed or detected the multiroom devices. Snapcast plugin did not show either of the devices as an option for Volumio Host for snapclient either.

#9

Did you ever solve this? I have the same issue

#10

Hey @kenhayward, It’s been a while since I dealt with that issue, but if I remember correctly, I believe I ended up just going through fresh installs and reinstalling all plugins all over again. I just made sure to make backups more often, incase anything went wrong.

I wish there was an easier/quicker way.

#11

In windows and Mac One of the easiest ways to backup / clone a RPI Volumio instaltion is with Paragon Backup & Recovery.
Its free,
its quick as it only backs up the data written on the card,
when restoring you are not limited to the same size card, you can use a smaller card assuming there is enough room for the data
its free