Understanding Cloning Durations: What to Expect When Using Clonezilla for Drive Imaging
When performing disk cloning operations, particularly with sizable storage devices like NVMe drives, it’s common for users to wonder about the expected time commitments. Recently, a user attempted to clone a 1TB NVMe SSD to a new 2TB NVMe drive using Clonezilla—a popular open-source disk imaging tool—and sought insights into the duration of the process.
The Cloning Process and Initial Expectations
In this scenario, the user initiated the cloning of a 1TB NVMe drive—with the drive being mostly filled—to a new 2TB NVMe SSD inserted into a secondary slot. The initial estimation by Clonezilla projected a total time of approximately six hours for completion. Given this estimate, the user opted to leave the process running overnight, trusting the tool to finish without interruption.
Observations and Current Status
After 15 hours, the process was reported to be 59% complete. The ongoing estimated remaining time was around 10 hours, with a data transfer rate of approximately 586 megabytes per minute. These figures prompted concern, as they appear significantly slower than the typical communication speeds expected between NVMe drives, which often operate at several gigabytes per second under optimal conditions.
Understanding Possible Causes of Slow Cloning Speeds
Several factors can influence the duration of a disk cloning operation, especially when using tools like Clonezilla:
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Drive Health and Performance:
If either drive is experiencing issues or has degraded performance, transfer speeds can decrease substantially. -
Source Drive Usage and File Types:
Cloning a nearly full drive, particularly with many small files or fragmented data, can slow down the process due to increased read/write overhead. -
Connection Interfaces and Compatibility:
While NVMe drives typically communicate via PCIe lanes offering high throughput, the slot’s configuration, motherboard chipset, or any intermediary hardware can bottleneck data transfer. -
Cloning Method and Data Safety:
Bit-by-bit cloning, especially when verifying data integrity, can extend the duration. Clonezilla may also perform reads and writes in a manner that prioritizes data safety over speed. -
System Load and Background Processes:
System resources consumed by other processes can impact disk I/O performance, leading to slower transfer rates.
What to Expect and Recommendations
While NVMe drives are designed for rapid data transfer, cloning operations—particularly full disk clones—may not always reach their
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