I need to create system image, does duplicati support this option?
No, Duplicati is a file-level backup tool.
You need a block-level backup tool, and perhaps even a system-aware backup tool. I am not aware of any non-commercial systems that can do this.
Well, built in “Windows Archiving” exist, but it have disadvantages: no scheduler for delete old backups, no mail notification, no option to send somewhere like FTP server not only local storage.
I just not long ago find “duplicati” and “urbackup”. In urbackup i find this option, but not test yet. Maybe exist more software like duplicati, urbackup, but i try to test at least this software for me. The backuping system image is only one of requirements for backup soft for me.
Try Macrium Reflect. I have the paid version but there is also a free version.
1 Like
Yes i try once this software, but i prefer to look at open-source software, because commercial software if have free version its doesnt mean that developers in one day make it only paid system, and in this case if you used to this software you need or buy it or look for another software.
Well, if they decided to stop releasing a free version you could just keep using the final free version they released. You wouldn’t be forced to stop using the free version.
1 Like
The problem of this decision is that OS always updating, so it can be risk to use this software if its just stop work correct.
How about using both Windows Backup and Duplicati?
Windows Backup from what I recall only keeps 1 image level backup in the target folder. But if you set up a Duplicati backup job specifically to protect that target folder, you can set your own retention options in order to keep multiple versions and for longer periods of time.
You could even configure the Duplicati backup to trigger the system state backup by using the “–run-script-before” option. It could run a batch file that runs wbadmin.exe with the command line options for creating a system image backup.
Downside to this approach is that it’s more complicated to restore a system image backup. You’d first have to restore it from Duplicati.
1 Like
The problem is that when we use “windows backup” it have some disadvantages: no mail notification, no deleting old backups, full/differential/incremental model backup or something near it, no FTP transfer. So the problem for example if for some reason image backup broken, duplicati doesnt know what happaned, its just continue “wait” new files for backuping from windows backup.
It will be great if system image backup duplicati support in future versions, but for now i must found another solution for it.
How far is duplicati away from doing a “full” system drive image backup? is a feature request similar to this one which has additional comments and also suggests some specific other solutions that might be helpful. Certainly there are additional solutions beyond those that got mentioned. If you find a nice one, please post.
Well, i will try soon find open-source solutions for my requirement. I can use wbadmin ofcourse, but its not user-friendly, cmd format, so need use batch files with task scheduler. If duplicati cant use own instruments to make system image backup, maybe developers should use module in duplicati, that module can run builtin windows tool wbadmin?
Veeam Agent is a free block-based BMR system.
I use a combination of Windows Back-up and Duplicati. WB gives me the windows image and Duplicati handles the rest (dedupe, upload, scheduling, etc.). If you feed the WB images from similar systems (i.e. same OS) to Duplicati, it will give you a very good dedupe rate.
OP is insisting on open source it seems.
If it would help any to have Duplicati do batch file scheduling, see Scripting options to use on backups. Possibly this is how @rumenavramov is tying things together, but that level of detail wasn’t stated…
Sometimes image backups also let one restore individual files. If so, and if one wanted to save space, having Duplicati do file-level backups of only files newer than the image backup’s could avoid doubling. Counter-argument is that redundant backups (especially if methods differ) gives better data protection.
Ah. Amanda Backup then? It’s open source, cross-platform and I’m pretty sure it’s block-level.
Let me share then 
I use WB (wbadmin) to get system image/bare metal type of backups and I include the least amount of data in those. I have scripted and scheduled these and the resulting backups (sessentially VHD files) go to a designated folder. Duplicati picks them up from there and I have observed pretty good dedupe ratios since the VHDs have very similar contents - backing up two Windows servers and two Windows 10 VMs would result in a Duplicati back-up that is slightly bigger than one server and one Win 10 VM. Adding more system images of the a type that is already included does not increases the Duplicati back-up size by much.
I then have a separate back-up job that “reaches into” all computers and picks up all files that were not included in the system image back-up. Since these are just various files, the dedupe ratio is lower, but still pretty decent.
Sadly I have not had the time to orchestrate all of this with some kind of a master script, so I am just carefully aligning the times of the scheduled tasks for WB and Duplicati’s jobs.
Not perfect, but works well enough for me.
The best open source offline backup & restoration tool supports local & remote destination. Only full backups no incremental backups. Compression and encryption supported.
1 Like
I love Clonezilla, but it won’t image a running Windows machine.
its good but not in 21 century