HOWTO: Backup an Entire Hard Disk to a Smaller One

In my book, one of the best ways to back up an entire disk is to simply dump an image of it to external media. For instance, let's say you have an OS installed on your workstation and you want to try a new Linux distribution. You could repartition the drive, mess with the bootloader, and install the new OS next to the old one. Then, if you don't like it, nuke the new partition, resize the old one, and fix up the MBR to point back to the old OS. This is certainly a common scenario, but it carries with it the substantial possibility that something will go wrong. You could lose your main OS and have to start over from scratch. Or you might end up spending hours trying to recover your old OS that you didn't properly back up before starting the procedure. Because hey, you're a Linux superstar by now, who needs backups anyway?

Symmetric Encryption with PyCrypto, Part I

This is a multi-part series on the basics of implementing symmetric cryptography in Python with PyCrypto. By the end of the series, we'll have a program that takes a password plus a file and outputs the encrypted version of the file. (And of course, the reverse.) This first part is mainly intended for the novice. Those already well-versed in encryption or don't care for a refresher should consider skipping to Part 2. Also, I'll attempt to explain concepts as best I can, but you'll want to have a decent grasp of Python in order to make full use of the tutorial.