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Upgrade from CentOS 6 to CentOS 7 on Existing Server

Zardiw
Hi All. Have a server running CentOS 6 with WHM and cPanel. Want to upgrade it to CentOS 7. My server hosting people say that doing this will wipe the existing server before CentOS 7 is installed. Have downloaded the home and backup directories to my local drive. Once I have the CentOS 7 installed, can I just upload the home directory and be good to go? Or can I create the accounts again (only 3 of them) and then restore from backup to get them current? Or are there other considerations? Read about the migration tool, but that would not apply here correct?.....since it is the same server where the update is occuring. Any help would be appreciated.

Comments

14 comments

Date Votes
  • kodeslogic
    Upgrading the Operating system on the current server with a live website is not recommended. Just restoring the /home will not work. The best approach would be to get the new server with CentOS 7 + cPanel then migrate the accounts from the old server to the new server. Once you confirm that everything is working fine on your new server then you can shut down and terminate your old server after 2-3 days.
    0
  • ffeingol
    You'd basically have to do the following:
    • Run cpanel backups on all the accounts
    • Copy them off the server (or run the above backup to a remote location)
    • Have the data center re-install CentOS V7 and cPanel/WHM
    • Configure things the way you want it
    • Download the backups and restore
    If you can afford it, it's much easier to have 2 servers and use the WHM transfer system to move things. Then you still have the old server for reference (check settings etc.).
    0
  • kodeslogic
    I would still recommend getting the new server(same configuration) with CentOS 7 + cPanel and do the migration. Once everything working on the new server you can terminate the old server.
    0
  • hmaddy
    Take backups of all accounts to a remote location and reinstall the server with latest centos or cloud, and then install cpanel. After the completion of cpanel installation and configuration, download the backups from the remote location and restore it.
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    I would also recommend getting a second machine. You would only need to have two systems up and running during the time it takes to perform the migration and confirm things are working well, and then you could shut down the old system.
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    Absolutely - the Transfer Tool in WHM performs all the work for you, and has been used to migrate countless servers. If you get stuck, our support team is happy to help!
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    It does some of those things for sure - there's a full list here:
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    You should be able to get a trial license which is good for 15 days while you perform that migration work. If that doesn't happen automatically when you set up the new machine, just let our team know and we can get that set up for you. Once the migration is done you can change the existing paid license over to the new machine.
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    You're very welcome!
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    My Swahili isn't too good! Most of the details on that page are giving you warnings for every possible situation you could run into. If you go to WHM >> Transfer Tool on the new machine and just try and connect, you'll see what options you have in the interface. The main thing you'll want to decide is if you want to use Live Transfer or not, but the general process is something like this: -lower the TTLs in the DNS zones you plan to move a day or two in advance -transfer the data (and settings if you want) through the Transfer Tool -confirm the sites are working well on the new machine -switch the DNS to point to the new server
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    I'm sorry about the issues you've run into with this. Transfer Tool is always run on the new machine, and pulls data over from the old system. You should have had an option to install MySQL 5.7 on the new machine - in fact, that is what I would expect to come installed on new installations by default. If you aren't seeing that, I'm wondering if the host has set up a custom template with MariaDB. The Transfer Tool uses an SSH connection to talk between the two machines, so you would need to have those ports opened on both ends in order for that to work.
    0
  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    It's important to note our forums aren't staffed the same as a help desk, so it's possible for questions here to go unnoticed for several hours. For the issues you're seeing it would be best to submit a ticket to our team either through the link in my signature or directly through the WHM interface.
    0
  • WorkinOnIt

    cPRex

    This is one of those threads that would have been nice if it had been preserved.... the forum migration has damaged a lot of threads like this.... so now, they don't ready right.   Users like me have to ask the same questions again.... (except the name of the OS is different!)

    So - what's the current best practice in side by side OS upgrade.  I don't want to do in place upgrades

    0
  • Andrew

    The best way to do is by using Transfer Tools. Install cPanel on the new server then use Transfer Tool to first copy over the Service Configurations then you can move forward with the Paclages and Accounts. You can find more info on this here:

    https://docs.cpanel.net/knowledge-base/transfers-and-restores/how-to-move-all-cpanel-accounts-from-one-server-to-another/

    Andrew N. - cPanel Plesk VMWare Certified Professional
    Do you need immediate assistance? 20 minutes response time!*
    EmergencySupport - Professional Server Management and One-time Services

    1

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