I want to do a clean install of Ubuntu and then create an image that I can use to restore the system to a clean state after I've tested the installation and use of an app within Ubuntu.
But all I'm finding is cloning, which doesn't do what I want. I don't want to clone my drive. I want to be able to run a test and then restore from an image so that everything is exactly as it was before I started the test.
Basically this is what I need to do: Install Ubuntu 12.04. Create an image of 12.04 that I store somewhere else. Reformat the drive and install 14.04. Create an image of 14.04 that I store somewhere else.
Erase the hard disk and restore the 12.04 image. Install the application I'm testing to find issues. Erase the hard disk and restore the 12.04 image. Reinstall the application I'm testing to find issues during other install options. Erase the hard disk and restore the 12.04 image. Reinstall the application I'm testing to find issues that may arise from different application configurations. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
From what I'm reading, cloning is primarily for servers to allow you to have a copy of the disk you're using in the event of a failure. When it does fail, you switch to the clone to keep the server running while you're repairing the disk.
I want imaging because I need every starting state for each test to be identical to every other starting state so that I can figure out where problems are. If anything at all is different between the install of Ubuntu I start with during one test and the install of Ubuntu I start with during another, the test is invalid.