Difference between revisions of "Cloning a Debian server"
Christensen (talk | contribs) |
Christensen (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Cloning a server an be necessary for various reasons, e.g. due to hardware failures and upgrades as well as after hacker attacks. Notice that in order to clone a server using the method described below, you need access to the server that you want to clone. Hence, it is a good idea to take the steps described below BEFORE a machine crashes or is compromised. |
Cloning a server an be necessary for various reasons, e.g. due to hardware failures and upgrades as well as after hacker attacks. Notice that in order to clone a server using the method described below, you need access to the server that you want to clone. Hence, it is a good idea to take the steps described below BEFORE a machine crashes or is compromised. |
||
| + | |||
| + | The cloning consists of four different steps: |
||
| + | |||
| + | # Installing the correct packages |
||
| + | # Cloning the configuration |
||
| + | # Copying all user files |
||
| + | # Loading all application data (databases, mail, etc.) |
||
== Installing packages == |
== Installing packages == |
||
| Line 23: | Line 30: | ||
== Cloning the configuration == |
== Cloning the configuration == |
||
| + | |||
| + | == User files == |
||
| + | |||
| + | == Restoring application data == |
||
Revision as of 15:40, 23 January 2006
Cloning a server an be necessary for various reasons, e.g. due to hardware failures and upgrades as well as after hacker attacks. Notice that in order to clone a server using the method described below, you need access to the server that you want to clone. Hence, it is a good idea to take the steps described below BEFORE a machine crashes or is compromised.
The cloning consists of four different steps:
- Installing the correct packages
- Cloning the configuration
- Copying all user files
- Loading all application data (databases, mail, etc.)
Installing packages
On the server that you wish to clone, you have get a list of installed packages:
$ dpkg --get-selections > packages_selected.txt
The machine on which you want to install the server clone has to be up and ready to receive a Debian fresh installation. Find a [1]] Debian installation image and install a minimal system. Copy the file containing the package selections (packages_selected.txt) to the newly installed system and:
$ cat packages_selected.txt | dpkg --set-selections
This will selected the packages that were selected on the server you want to clone. In order to actually install the packages run:
$ dselect
And choose "Install". Don't worry too much about the various configuration options as you are likely going to overwrite during the configuation cloning.
