[CentOS] Three Identical systems - short cut to setting up the drives?

[Les Mikesell]

Robert Moskowitz wrote:
> I am building three identical systems.  Well they will have different 
> host names, and with time the software setups will drift.  But at 
> install time they are identical.
> 
> Is there some way, (with dd I might guess) to do a hardare level copy?
> 
> All three drives are Hitachi DK23DA-40F (40Gb).  Supposedly factory 
> reconditioned (they are in sealed bags with a drive sticker stating: 
> "Refurbished to Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Specifications").
> 
> I would want to copy the paritition table and my 3 partitions (/boot, 
> swap, LVM (/ and /home ext3 partitions in the LVM)) and all their contents.
> 
> Thing is I only have one USB drive enclosure so I would be running from 
> the drive I want to copy from.

Boot from the install CD with 'linux rescue' at the boot prompt so you 
can do the dd copy with none of the partitions mounted.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com