Duplicate container and move to another Bluefin

Since you are on the same Bluefin version with the same Username, this process is very reliable. Because Distrobox is a "wrapper" around Podman, you will use Podman to move the "engine" and a simple file copy to move the "settings."

⚙️ Phase 1: Machine A (The Source)

1. Identify your container name

bash

distrobox list

Use code with caution.


(We'll assume the name is graphics-box for these steps.)

2. Stop the container and "Freeze" it into an image

bash

distrobox stop graphics-box

podman commit graphics-box my-graphics-image

Use code with caution.


3. Export the image to a file

bash

podman save my-graphics-image:latest | gzip > ~/Desktop/graphics-box.tar.gz

Use code with caution.


4. Collect your App Settings (The "Secret Sauce")

Distrobox shares your Home folder, so the settings are actually outside the container. Copy these folders to your USB/Network drive:

~/.config/xnviewmp/ (XnView settings & layout)

~/.config/darktable/ (darktable database & edits)

~/.config/GIMP/ (GIMP brushes & preferences)

📥 Phase 2: Machine B (The Destination)

1. Move the settings into place first

Paste the ~/.config/ folders from Machine A into the same location on Machine B.

2. Load the image into Podman

bash

podman load < ~/Desktop/graphics-box.tar.gz

Use code with caution.


3. Recreate the Distrobox from that image

bash

distrobox create --name graphics-box --image localhost/my-graphics-image:latest

Use code with caution.


4. Restore the App Shortcuts (Menu Integration)

Enter the box and "export" the apps so they show up in your GNOME App Grid:

bash

distrobox enter graphics-box

# Run these inside the container:

distrobox-export --app xnviewmp

distrobox-export --app darktable

distrobox-export --app gimp

exit

Use code with caution.


📝 The "Moving Day" Cheatsheet

Task Command / Action

Commit podman commit [box-name] [new-image-name]

Export Image podman save [image-name] > [filename].tar

Import Image podman load < [filename].tar

Sync Settings Copy ~/.config/xnviewmp and ~/.config/darktable

Restore Menu distrobox-export --app [app-name] (inside box)

Pro-Tip for Bluefin: If you use a ZFS pool for your photos, ensure the mount point path (e.g., /var/mnt/photos) is identical on both machines. If the path changes, darktable will show the "skull" icon because it can't find the files, even if the database transferred perfectly.

 

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