Process of duplicating all data on a digital storage drive
Disk cloning is the process of duplicating all data on a digital storage drive, such as a hard disk or solid state drive, using hardware or software techniques.[1] Unlike file copying, disk cloning also duplicates the filesystems, partitions, drive meta data and slack space on the drive.[2] Common reasons for cloning a drive include; data backup and recovery; duplicating a computer's configuration for mass deployment and for preserving data for digital forensics purposes.[1][3][4] Drive cloning can be used in conjunction with drive imaging where the cloned data is saved to one or more files on another drive rather than copied directly to another drive.
^Turriza, José Luis Lira; Huh, Yaqueline Pech; Lira, Jose Manuel (2018). "Comparative study of restoration tools by cloning using LSP me-thod". Revista Ingeniantes. 5 (1): 1.
^Hayes, Darren R. (2014). A Practical Guide to Computer Forensics Investigations. Pearson Education. pp. 86–87. ISBN9780132756150.