Change from OrangePi 4 to miniPC mantaining same external drive

General Discussion
1

Hi!

I’ve searching for similar topics, but I’m keeping some questions.
My current scenario is a OrangePi 4 with an external USB HD. Dietpi_userdata is in the external drive.
OrangePi is running some containers: filebrowser, npm, netalertx and portainer. I tried Immich but this SBC has not enough power for that and take a long time for the jobs.
So I want to change OrangePi by a miniPC, with the same external drive.
I want to do this with as less steps as possible, and as much safely as possible as well.
Then, I ask you for some help and advice about the migration.
I think that I must do:

  1. Backup containers and volumes. Backup current dietpi_userdata and personal files, just in case.
  2. Install Debian (without graphic environment) in miniPC
  3. Attach the drive to the miniPC
  4. Run dietpi-installer from @MichaIng
  5. In the first boot, in dietpi-config:
    A) Mount the external HD in the same path as current.
    B) Select to move dietpi_userdata to the the path it has currently (and thus to the external HD)
  6. Restore the containers backups.
  7. Check that -hopefully- everything works fine.

In step 6, will Dietpi preserve the original contents in the dietpi_userdata folder?
Is there any missing steps I must take?

Thanks for your help!!!

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2

Not sure if this will work when you switch from Orange Pi 4, which uses an ARM processor, to a mini PC, which probably uses x86_64?!

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3

You mean dietpi_userdata is related in some way to the architecture of the system?

4

No the kernel for the OS is compiled for a different architecture of processor…they are not cross compatible…like for like compile of the OS…otherwise it won’t work…

You can build the miniPC, then rsync over the user_data from the ARM to the miniPC…migrate the userdata over

5

Well, it seems that I didn’t explain myself.
In step 1 I would backup only user data: dietpi_userdata
In step 2, I would install a new, fresh, amd64 Debian in the miniPC and later would run dietpi-installer. Also I could install the nativePC version of Dietpi, I don’t know which is the preferred way for a miniPC.

As you can see, anything to do with arm64

So the question is about the quickest and safest way to recovering the old personal and configuration files

Anyway, I think I would do a backup of dietpi-userdata and later a restore with dietpi-sync. It is a lot of more time consuming as there is 1 TB already in the external disk, but it seems to be the better way.

Thanks.

6

In every case, installing the DietPi PC image is the safer and easier choice.

Check out the correct installation media for you (UEFI, BIOS,…).

Which PC model do you plan to use?

7

Generally it works, but do not run dietpi-installer after attaching the external drive, but before doing so:

  1. Backup userdata and other non-arch data/configs.
  2. Install fresh Debian and run dietpi-installer or flash our x86 image, as noted by Stephan.
  3. Boot and finish first run setup without installing software yet.
  4. Attach external drive and move userdata via dietpi-drive_manager. It won’t remove anything but just takes over what is there, in case merges what is on /mnt/dietpi_userdata already.
  5. Install software as you like. It will migrate whichever data dirs it finds in /mnt/dietpi_userdata.
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8

It is a MinisForum GK41

9

Thank you Michael.
I’ll do that way.

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