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Idea #20454: Automate moving to another computer

bug This idea is a duplicate of Idea #1: Easy way of backing up/moving your documents and settings.
Written by leandro123 the 28 Jun 09 at 20:43. Category: Installation. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
Every time a user moves to another computer, after the typical installation, there is the problem to fill in personal files, applications, preferences, etc.

There are two main issues in migrating the system environment: the personal environment (personal files, but also personal preferences and configuration of several apps, keyring, etc), and the system environment (apps installed, global preferences).

Transfering the home directory and several configuration files does not solve the problem as some configuration files do not work well in the new machine. There is no reliable way (as far as I know) to automate the installation of the same applications on the new computer.

It would be great to have a migration tool, and even a sync tool if the user wants to have the same environment on multiple computers.

158
votes
closed
Solution #1: Add a migration/transfer tool in System->Administration
Written by leandro123 the 28 Jun 09 at 20:43.
A migration tool will (1) collect the enviroment (of the user or the computer) including the personal preferences in a machine independent way (e.g. Thunderbird, Mozilla, Pidgin, config files), the personal files (home directory), the list of installed applications, and (2) send them to another computer (via ssh, rexec, ssl, etc.) or create an archive to be transferred and then imported by the same application on the new computer.
46
votes
closed
Solution #3: Add a "transfer settings from existing installation" in the installer.
Written by Michael Safyan the 3 Jul 09 at 21:39.
I suggest we have something at the end of the Ubuntu installation process that, like at the end of the Mac OS X installation process, asks the user if he/she would like to transfer his/her files and settings from an existing copy of Ubuntu. If selected, the user can choose to transfer data via the Internet or through a USB or other physical connection. The Ubuntu install will then transfer (most of) the contents of "/home" and "/etc" (depending on what can be reasonably copied from one installation to another), and the new installation will use the apt-get markings of the previous installation to download and install the appropriate packages.

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Ssdg wrote on the 29 Jun 09 at 14:40
Simple Backup Manager does a lot of this already (I saw a package list, the configuration files, the user directory)

But it's a backup tool, it's not made for 2-way sync.

(And I never tried (nor had to) restore my whole backups (I restored my home directory, but never the "system" part))

Akerbos wrote on the 30 Jun 09 at 13:37
And how will the tool on your old machine know which config files will have to be adapted?

jflaker wrote on the 5 Jul 09 at 23:07
to Ssdg

There are utilities to do this already, but the average person would be completely lost as to WHAT application they need, WHAT needs to be backed up and HOW to get that stuff to their new box.

Which is my idea, to create/include an idiot proof backup
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/2606/


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