LinuxCommandLibrary

ghost

Capture and restore disk partitions

TLDR

Install Ghost in the current directory

$ ghost install
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Start an instance of Ghost
$ ghost start
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Restart the Ghost instance
$ ghost restart
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Check the system for any potential hiccups while installing or updating Ghost
$ ghost doctor
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View the logs of a Ghost instance
$ ghost log [name]
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Run a Ghost instance directly (used by process managers and for debugging)
$ ghost run
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View running Ghost processes
$ ghost ls
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View or edit Ghost configuration
$ ghost config [key] [value]
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SYNOPSIS

As 'ghost' is not a standard Linux command, a universal synopsis does not exist.

If it refers to a custom script or alias, its usage would depend entirely on its specific implementation (e.g., ghost [options] [arguments]).

PARAMETERS

(No standard parameters)
    The command 'ghost' is not a standard Linux utility, therefore it does not have predefined parameters or options. Any parameters or arguments would be specific to a custom script or application named 'ghost' that a user might have created or installed.

DESCRIPTION

The term 'ghost' is not recognized as a standard, pre-installed command in most Linux distributions. It is commonly associated with proprietary disk imaging software like Symantec Ghost, which operates primarily in Windows environments or through bootable media. In Linux, equivalent disk imaging functionalities are provided by robust open-source tools such as dd, partclone, or clonezilla. If 'ghost' is encountered as a command on a Linux system, it most likely refers to a custom script, an alias, or a component of a very specific, non-standard package installed by the user or administrator. Users often mistakenly search for a direct 'ghost' command expecting disk cloning capabilities similar to its proprietary namesake.

CAVEATS

The primary and most significant caveat is that 'ghost' is not a standard Linux command. Attempting to execute 'ghost' will typically result in a 'command not found' error unless a custom script, alias, or non-standard package with that exact name has been specifically installed or created on the system. Users seeking disk imaging, cloning, or system backup functionalities should explore and utilize the robust, native Linux utilities designed for these purposes.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

Many users associate the term 'ghost' with comprehensive disk imaging and system backup. While Symantec Ghost is well-known for these capabilities, it's crucial to understand that it is not a Linux command. Linux offers powerful, flexible, and open-source alternatives like dd for raw disk copying, and partclone for efficient partition backups, which are the go-to tools for similar tasks within the Linux environment.

ALTERNATIVE TOOLS FOR IMAGING

For comprehensive disk imaging and cloning solutions on Linux, particularly for system backup and restoration, users often turn to bootable environments like Clonezilla. Clonezilla leverages underlying Linux utilities such as partclone and dd to provide a user-friendly interface for creating and restoring disk or partition images. Other direct command-line options include cat for simple file concatenation, and various specialized tools for specific file system backups like rsync.

HISTORY

The term 'Ghost' in a computing context most famously refers to Symantec Ghost (originally Norton Ghost), a proprietary software product developed in the 1990s primarily for disk cloning and imaging, widely used in Windows environments and for deploying operating systems. This tool is not native to Linux and does not have a direct, open-source counterpart sharing its name. Its functionality is typically achieved on Linux systems using open-source utilities developed independently, such as dd and partclone, which predate or evolved separately from Symantec Ghost's prominence. There is no historical development of a standard 'ghost' command within the GNU/Linux ecosystem.

SEE ALSO

dd(1), partclone(8), gs(1), mount(8), lsblk(8)

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