Reverting dom0 state

[Emily]

I need to do some troubleshooting that will impact dom0 files. Before I screw up my system, what is the simplest way to revert dom0 to its prior state before the troubleshooting?

I can back up dom0, but that only backs up the home directory. Is there a simple way to backup all of dom0 and restore it, without a re-install?

If I rsync with root privileges the root directory, will that catch everything? Is that a viable solution to revert state, or am I only going to create a mess of dom0 doing so?

[fsflover]

Dom0 backup/snapshot?

Background: I use Qubes4.1 as my daily driver so the cost of any disruption is very high (time=money). I use the internal backup solution for all the VMs but since you don’t get a FULL dom0 backup, dread the day a problem in dom0 will force me to reinstall+restore as I recall that the OS installation on my rig was very long and complicated due to my rig being rather new with some unsupported hardware. (at least not right out of the box). This also mean that I’m extremely reluctant to make ANY…

[ludovic]

@Emily

Is there a simple way to backup all of dom0 and restore it, without a re-install?

I suggest disk-cloning with tools like clonezilla. I use it as a second-level backup and before switching to a new qubes-os release.