Seeking Advice on Migrating VPS from a reseller platform that uses OnApp to Virtualizor

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Hi everyone,

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

I recently set up my own VPS hypervisor using Virtualizor and am looking for advice on how to efficiently migrate my current client’s VPS to my new Virtualizor setup. I am currently using a VPS reseller platform that is based on OnApp.

The challenge is that I do not have direct access to the hypervisor where my client’s VPS are hosted—I only have root access to the VPS themselves.

Does anyone have any tips or strategies for migrating the VPS, ideally with minimal downtime and effort? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all in advance!
 
Hello,

I hope this will help you

  1. Using rsync for Live Migration:
    • One of the most efficient ways to transfer data is through rsync. This allows you to synchronize data between the source VPS and your new Virtualizor server incrementally, minimizing downtime.
    • Start by running an initial rsync pass while the client’s VPS is still active:

      rsync -avz --exclude=/proc --exclude=/sys --exclude=/dev --exclude=/tmp --exclude=/run user@source_vps:/ /destination_mount_point/<br>


    • Once ready for the final migration, stop the services on the original VPS, perform a final rsync to capture any last-minute changes, and then switch DNS/traffic to the new server.
  2. Creating Disk Images:
    • If feasible, create a compressed disk image of the VPS using tools like dd:



      <span>dd</span> <span>if</span>=/dev/sda | gzip &gt; /path/to/vps-image.gz<br>
    • Transfer the image to your new hypervisor and restore it:


      gunzip -c /path/to/vps-image.gz | <span>dd</span> of=/dev/sdb<br>
    • Note: Ensure that the storage configuration on the new Virtualizor matches the original disk structure for compatibility.
  3. Custom Backup and Restore:
    • Leverage backup tools (e.g., tar or rsnapshot) to create comprehensive backups of the VPS data and configurations. Transfer these backups to the new server, extract them, and reconfigure services if needed.
  4. Manual Service Migration:
    • For minimal disruption, consider migrating services (like web servers, databases, etc.) individually by setting up the same services on the new VPS and replicating data.
    • Use tools like mysqldump for databases and scp/rsync for web files.
  5. Network Configurations:
    • Plan DNS updates ahead of time to ensure a smooth switch with minimal downtime. Lower the TTL (Time to Live) on DNS records well before migration to allow for quicker propagation during the switchover.
  6. Testing Phase:
    • Before finalizing, test the new VPS setup thoroughly to ensure all applications and services run as expected.
If you need more specific assistance or run into any issues during the migration, feel free to ask!

Best of luck with your migration
 
here some information i found:

1. Assess Current VPS Configuration

  • Operating System and Version: Ensure compatibility between OnApp and Virtualizor.
  • Disk Partitioning: Take note of the partition scheme.
  • Network Settings: Document IP addresses, DNS settings, and network configurations.
  • Installed Software and Services: List all running applications, daemons, and services.

2. Backup the VPS

  • Create a full backup of the VPS, including:
    • Filesystem data (using tools like rsync, scp, or tar).
    • Database dumps (e.g., using mysqldump for MySQL).
    • Configuration files and custom scripts.
    For backup on OnApp:
    • OnApp has snapshot functionality; take a snapshot if available.
    • Alternatively, mount and copy the disk or use external backup tools.

3. Prepare the New Environment on Virtualizor

  • Install Virtualizor on the target host if not already installed.
  • Configure storage (LVM, ZFS, etc.), network interfaces, and IP pools in Virtualizor.
  • Create a new VPS with similar specifications (RAM, disk size, and CPU) as the original one.

4. Transfer Data

There are multiple ways to migrate the VPS:

a. Using Rsync:

  1. Set up SSH access between the OnApp and Virtualizor environments.
  2. Use rsync to copy files:
    bash
    Copy code
    rsync -avz --progress root@&lt;onapp-vps-ip&gt;:/ /destination-path/<br>
  3. Update permissions and ownership after copying.

b. Disk Image Transfer:

  1. Create a disk image of the OnApp VPS:
    bash
    Copy code
    <span>dd</span> <span>if</span>=/dev/vda of=/path/to/vps.img bs=1M<br>
  2. Transfer the image to the Virtualizor server using scp or similar tools.
  3. Import the image into Virtualizor:
    • Attach it to the new VPS as a raw disk.
    • Resize the disk if necessary using qemu-img.

c. Direct Migration via Conversion Tools:

  • If OnApp provides export options (e.g., OVF/OVA), you can convert the disk image to a format supported by Virtualizor (e.g., QCOW2 or RAW) using qemu-img:
    bash
    Copy code
    qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 vps.img vps.qcow2<br>

5. Reconfigure the VPS on Virtualizor

  • Networking:
    • Assign the new IP addresses and configure /etc/network/interfaces or equivalent files.
  • Bootloader and Kernel:
    • Ensure the correct kernel and bootloader are in place for Virtualizor.
  • Verify Services:
    • Test all applications and services for functionality.

6. Test Thoroughly

  • Test the migrated VPS for:
    • Network connectivity.
    • Application functionality.
    • Performance benchmarks.

7. Final Steps

  • Update DNS records to point to the new server.
  • Inform users about the migration and any expected downtime.
  • Monitor the VPS post-migration to ensure stability.
 
Hi everyone,

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

I recently set up my own VPS hypervisor using Virtualizor and am looking for advice on how to efficiently migrate my current client’s VPS to my new Virtualizor setup. I am currently using a VPS reseller platform that is based on OnApp.

The challenge is that I do not have direct access to the hypervisor where my client’s VPS are hosted—I only have root access to the VPS themselves.

Does anyone have any tips or strategies for migrating the VPS, ideally with minimal downtime and effort? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all in advance!
One approach you might consider is creating a backup of each client’s VPS and then restoring it on your new setup. If you're looking to minimize downtime, you could also explore options for live migration tools that might work with your current environment.
 
Does your current provider offer the ability to download backups or take a snapshot of the VMs? I know a provider who utilises OnApp and offers snapshot capability who migrated to us, we were able to download the .img file of their VM which was in the qcow2 format and simply import their disk file into our cluster.

Other than that, some sort of external backup - or my preferred method a block by block copy using dd to a new system would be the only choices.
 
I remember moving like 400 kvm vms from Onapp to Proxmox using just clonezilla, booting it up and just exporting to qcow or raw image. Then import the image in the console kvm hypervisor "proxmox" that should be the same process for any KVM virtualization platform. Now if you dont have access to hypervisor, do you have access to boot isos? maybe they can put you clonezilla iso on the virtual cdrom, and then do a livemigration maybe.

How many vps you have to migrate?
 
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