Can I clone or merge my old server to my new server?

Question

The question of "Can I clone my old server to a new server?" or "Can I merge my old server files to my new server?" is asked more often than one would think. 

Answer

No. One cannot merely clone a server or merge old server files to a new server with a tool like "rsync." The older server files may cause conflicts on the new server and disrupt the cPanel & WHM functionality. 

When creating a new server, you can copy or clone the following information using cPanel & WHM tools or interfaces:

• Specific service configurations. 
• Account packages. 
• Account data. 

Here are some additional article resources on how you can copy the above-listed information:

Service Configurations

What service configurations can I migrate with the Transfer Tool?

How to transfer service configurations between cPanel servers

How to use the cpconftool script to backup and restore server configurations

How can I restore old settings to my cPanel server?

Account Packages

How to copy packages between cPanel servers

Account Data

How do I Move All cPanel Accounts from One Server to Another?

Restore an account from a backup file on the server

How To: Manual Account Transfer With Rsync