Crash after switch to Almalinux and backup restoration

[discusclub]

Hi,
After some year that I am managing the same VPS on Contabo, with a VPS WHM license, I had an insane idea: to follow the suggestions to switch from CentOs 7.9 EOL to Almalinux 8.x, as this doesn't require a switch to another server, but could be done all on-the-spot. Ok, I verified that it'snt true.
BTW what I've obtained is a damage to the Linux kernel and the VPS totally broken.
At this point I prayed God, and the most important websites were backupped on a different server (backupsy), but *not* all. The main ones.
During this time, I've got another VPS and in few hours restored the production sites using the tar.gz backups and solved the biggest problems as the main 2 sites needed to be online ASAP. Let's put apart collateral endless problems that I am facing, I go ahead to the help request:
I have the access to the rescue system of the broken VPS that allows you to backup the directory /home/accounts, all.
Now I am downloading on my iMac the various account folders(from the broken useless one), the question is: it seems to be not enough to tar.gz the folder and upload to the new /home/ directory, what is needed to restore the accounts? I do have from rescue system access to almost all the folders, what do am I missing?
Thank you all for the help.after 3 days I am really tired.

 

[andrew.n]

It will be difficult to restore everything manually. cPanel has a disaster recovery documentation but it does require expertise:

Full Disaster Recovery | cPanel & WHM Documentation

In some circumstances, experienced system administrators may need to completely restore a server from a crashed or failed hard drive.

docs.cpanel.net

I would focus on bringing up the broken server instead. Do you still have that? Do you have console (KVM) access so you can see while it fails to boot? Your best bet would be to hire a cPanel certified sys admin from Resources to check this out for you.

 

[JoseDieguez]

" as this doesn't require a switch to another server, but could be done all on-the-spot. "

who told you that?
any change from Centos-CloudLinux-Alamlinux 7 to the version 8, is best to perform a server migration.

any update in-place tool is still in beta, and not recommended.

 

[discusclub]

It will be difficult to restore everything manually. cPanel has a disaster recovery documentation but it does require expertise:

Full Disaster Recovery | cPanel & WHM Documentation

In some circumstances, experienced system administrators may need to completely restore a server from a crashed or failed hard drive.

docs.cpanel.net

I would focus on bringing up the broken server instead. Do you still have that? Do you have console (KVM) access so you can see while it fails to boot? Your best bet would be to hire a cPanel certified sys admin from Resources to check this out for you.

Yes, I do have all the accesses, as I am still paying for the both VPS, the crashed one (I am the guilty of the damage, I cannot blame the Company) and the new one, with Almalinux instead, a fresh install (and WHM). I only saved some account, not all.The tech dept helped me to arrive til the rescue system, where I see the all /home/ accounts, restored a ssh root access and finished.

 

[andrew.n]

In that case you can follow the disaster guide or try to boot the original server and see what is the exact error while booting in KVM which could be a good hint how to move forward with the damaged machine.

 

[discusclub]

In that case you can follow the disaster guide or try to boot the original server and see what is the exact error while booting in KVM which could be a good hint how to move forward with the damaged machine.

The kernel is damaged, maybe corrupted or partially deleted. So I don't know how to go on on the old one, as Almalinux isn't working properly. I only remember that after the upgrade and various reboots, the last reboot killed the VPS. So I guess that the only thing I can do is reinstall Almalinux on the old one and then retry to make the operations from your link. That's why I am asking: I have the cPanel accounts in the folders, entire. It seems that tar.gz them and reupload in the new /home/ directory doesn't work, correct?

 

[andrew.n]

You can go on the old one by mounting the server into rescue mode and following the steps in the guide.

"That's why I am asking: I have the cPanel accounts in the folders, entire. It seems that tar.gz them and reupload in the new /home/ directory doesn't work, correct?"

cPanel won't recognize those files as lot of the necessary ones are outside of /home which is needed by cPanel like MySQL databases, web server configuration files etc.. so it will take a lot more to have a functioning server again unfortunately.

 

[discusclub]

You can go on the old one by mounting the server into rescue mode and following the steps in the guide.

"That's why I am asking: I have the cPanel accounts in the folders, entire. It seems that tar.gz them and reupload in the new /home/ directory doesn't work, correct?"

cPanel won't recognize those files as lot of the necessary ones are outside of /home which is needed by cPanel like MySQL databases, web server configuration files etc.. so it will take a lot more to have a functioning server again unfortunately.

Yes, I saw then that the account folders do not contain other than part of the entire system. MySQL db tables are in other folders (I don't remember but that's it).