I’m writing because I have Virtualmin installed on a virtual server on Digital Ocean hosting. I’d like to move the entire installation to a new hosting company. Is there a way to create an image of everything (operating system, virtualmin, all my virtual websites, email etc) to the new host using a function of Virtualmin?
I know I can create a backup of each virtual website… but I’d like to create an image of everything and just move the image to the new hosting system so I can install it exactly the way it’s installed right now.
Virtualmin / Backup and Restore / Backup Virtual Servers.
They give you the option to back up all virtual servers and subservers, the whole shooting match. Do that, then install Virtualmin on your new server, then restore that backup to the new server using the restore function.
I know how to have Virtualmin back up the Virtual Servers, but I’m having some functionality issues with the new website and some of the extras functions of Ubuntu don’t see to be working with the new installation. I’ve tried to ferret that out but I haven’t had any luck so far. I had created a VPS on Digital Ocean and I had tried to install this particular software myself with no luck so I paid the author to install it. Obviously they did something I didn’t because it all worked. I’m having an issue with a PDO function.
When I use the backup from the virtual server on my existing installation and then import it into the new version of Virtualmin I don’t think it will import that functionality the old installation has. I thought If I could just create an image of the whole thing then it would work.
VMware VCenter Converter perhaps, check on their site. However, it would be ‘easier’ to install new OS and restore backups. Then re install the piece of software you struggled with using 3rd party.
@danwtsa if you don’t have physical access to HDD where system is installed or if digital ocean will not create image for you which I don’t think so they do then no there is no way.
Well @unborn there are a whole lot of third party services which offer client software that can be installed on a server to create perfectly restorable image backups.
Some of these services use open source software and if one knows ones way around an open source software like Clonezilla, one could make an image of one’s server even if the VPS host (in this case, Digital Ocean) does not create the image of the server. Actually, DO does, sort of - How To Create an Image of Your Linux Environment and Launch It On DigitalOcean | DigitalOcean
Your following statement therefore is simply not true:
I use Rackspace to create backups of not only my own servers but also the servers of miscellaneous clients who use various VPS hosts. One precaution that I take is to put the db server in read-only mode ( SET GLOBAL read_only = ON;) for the time it takes to create an image. I am told that this is not necessary but I have been doing it for years and so I continue to do so.
@danwtsa you should decide if you want an image backup for a one time use for this migration or as an ongoing process which will be part of your backup strategy; and then choose a service accordingly.