Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 LTS "G4L" (GhostLinux) and more desk tops

[Ted Hilts]

Problem #1 

I recently changed a Win XP machine into a Ubuntu machine with Lucid
10.04 LTS released Apr 10 2010 and did not realize some of the radical
changes such as "triggers", "upstart", etc. Needless to say I wasted a
lot of time figuring out that this new release was very much different
than the traditional Linux.  After crashing the installation and
re-installing my Ubuntu magazine appeared in the mail and I started to
better understand what was going on.  BUT I've still got a few problems
even after understanding the concept of "PANELS". On this Ubuntu machine
where I am emailing I easily used up 7 desktops but on the Lucid machine
there is a kind of double desktop floating as 2 parts.

1. My first question is this:  Is there a way on Ubutntu Lucid to get my
7 or even more desktops like I have on this machine 8.04.  I ask because
I use the 8.04 machine as a administrative machine and use virtual
connections so from the 8.04 machine I can easily connect to all the
Linux and Windows XP machines and control their behaviour. So my 8.04
Ubuntu machine is the CLIENT and the other machines are SERVERS.

2. My scond question has to do with backup.  I have looked at this
problem and was told by Acronis that their application on the Win XP
machines would do the job for both Linux and Win XP.  NOT SO as I found
out with the Lucid Ubuntu machine which I tried to backup.  I think the
problem was that I answered the Lucid set up so that one hard drive was
compatible with EXT3 and the larger SATA drive (for data) was compatible
to EXT4. There were no external drives.  Acronis error message was that
it could not do the backup. Ubuntu Linux was installed on a regular IDE
drive and the backup was supposed to go on the SATA drive which either
was unacceptable or the file system format on the SATA drive was
unacceptable or both. 

So, I have been looking at Ubuntu Linux "G4L" and I've got hundreds of
pages of documentation which seems to be telling me I have to set up a
database server because the backup should not be on the same machine
that is being backed up.  But the documentation also says one can set up
a backup on the local machine on a different partition or disk. The
problem with this is that if the machine dies or the disk dies so also
does any restoration.  Another reason of "G4L" is that like Acronis it
will backup to what they say is "Bare Metal" and can be used to clone
other machines.  

So I've decided to go "G4L" for both the Linux and the Win XP machines
because (Both use the same Linux base) the documentation states it will
work for both. But the documentation is somewhat confusing so I thought
I better get the benefit of others.

Hope someone out there knows enough about "G4L" and has gone ahead with
it's total installation.  Ubuntu Lucid and even my Ubuntu administration
machine provide all the parts like SQL for example but don't seem to
provide the integration issues to make "G4L" come together as a bare
metal capable restoration system.

And help would be appreciated.

Thanks -- Ted Hilts