How to make disk image with dd on Linux or Unix

You can use the “dd” command to create a disk image on Linux or Unix systems. Here are the steps to create a disk image:

1. Identify the source disk: You can use the “lsblk” or “fdisk -l” command to identify the source disk and partition you want to create the image of. For example, if the source disk is “/dev/sdb” and you want to image the entire disk, the source argument would be “/dev/sdb”.
2. Identify the destination file: You need to specify the destination file where the disk image will be saved. For example, if you want to save the disk image as “sdb.img” in the current directory, the destination argument would be “./sdb.img”.
3. Run the “dd” command: Run the following “dd” command with the appropriate source and destination arguments:

4. Monitor the progress: The “dd” command may take a long time to complete, depending on the size of the disk. You can monitor the progress by checking the amount of data that has been transferred so far.
5. Verify the disk image: After the “dd” command has completed, you can verify the disk image by mounting it and checking its contents.

Note: When using the “dd” command, it is important to be careful with the source and destination arguments, as it can cause data loss if the wrong disk is specified. It’s also recommended to run the “dd” command with elevated privileges (e. (Valium) g., as the root user) to avoid permission issues.

That’s it! You should now have a disk image created using the “dd” command on Linux or Unix.