Has anyone successfully migrated from CentOS v7.9 to AlmaLinux 8 using cPanel ELevate Project?

[Optimizr]

I am planning to migrate my CentOS server to AlmaLinux 8.

I have read "Move All cPanel Accounts from One Server to Another" which require creating a new server w/ AlmaLinux 8 and migrating all accounts to new server. Takes a lot of time and not sure if my old server IP address will be still available after destroying my old server. And a lot of configuration must be done on new server to rematch the old server.

And I read "cPanel ELevate CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8". It seems to be the best method with ETA of 30 minutes and no additional configuration is required but the "Disclaimer" section scares me away from using this method.

Therefore, I would like to know if someone has successfully migrated from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux 8 using cPanel ELevate Project? If yes, I would like to know what other extra work/config do you have to do after the migration? How is it running?

 

[cPRex]

Hey there! We've had many successful upgrades. You'll just want to pay close attention to the evaluation it performs on the server before the upgrade happens, and make sure you manually address all of those problems. If not, you will run into issues.

 

[ThGe]

How many have unsuccessful upgrades? Any tips for us that are looking to eventually use Elevate?

 

[cPRex]

I don't have any statistics on the successful vs unsuccessful upgrades. You can always run the tool and just perform the evaluation steps so you can see how it works, without actually performing the OS conversion.

 

[GrumpyDevoloper]

i elevated mine months ago it was smooth and only issue i had it restarted server multiple times on elevate process and i couldent monitor progress on terminal, but just waiting some hours 3.5 i got email elevate process has been succesfull

 

[udayasl]

I ran command: /scripts/elevate-cpanel --check --upgrade-to=almalinux

And got some warnings, can you suggest me how to address these issues?

[root@myhostname ~]# /scripts/elevate-cpanel --check --upgrade-to=almalinux
* 2023-04-20 11:41:17 [INFO] Unsupported YUM repo enabled 'letsencrypt-cpanel' without packages installed from /etc/yum.repos.d/letsencrypt.repo, these will be disabled before ELevation
* 2023-04-20 11:41:17 [ERROR] 1 package(s) installed from unsupported YUM repo 'bintray--ookla-rhel' from /etc/yum.repos.d/bintray-ookla-rhel.repo
* 2023-04-20 11:41:17 [WARN] *** Elevation Blocker detected: ***
One or more enabled YUM repo are currently unsupported and have installed packages.
You should disable these repositories and remove packages installed from them
before continuing the update.

Consider reporting this limitation to Issues · cpanel/elevate

* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [ERROR] yum appears to be unstable. Please address this before upgrading
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [ERROR] https://ookla.bintray.com/rhel/repodata/repomd.xml: [Errno 14] curl#51 - "Unable to communicate securely with peer: requested domain name does not match the server's certificate."
Trying other mirror.
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [WARN] *** Elevation Blocker detected: ***
yum is not stable
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] Checking if your system is up to date:
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] Running: /usr/bin/yum clean all
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO]
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, tsflags, universal-hooks
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] Cleaning repos: EA4 cpanel-addons-production-feed cpanel-plugins MariaDB103 base
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] : bintray--ookla-rhel epel extras imunify360 imunify360-rollout-1
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] : imunify360-rollout-2 imunify360-rollout-3 imunify360-rollout-4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] : kernelcare letsencrypt-cpanel updates wp-toolkit-cpanel
* 2023-04-20 11:41:39 [INFO] : wp-toolkit-thirdparties
* 2023-04-20 11:41:40 [INFO] Cleaning up list of fastest mirrors
* 2023-04-20 11:41:40 [INFO]
* 2023-04-20 11:41:40 [INFO] Running: /usr/bin/yum check-update -q
* 2023-04-20 11:41:40 [INFO]
* 2023-04-20 11:41:42 [INFO] https://ookla.bintray.com/rhel/repodata/repomd.xml: [Errno 14] curl#51 - "Unable to communicate securely with peer: requested domain name does not match the server's certificate."
* 2023-04-20 11:41:42 [INFO] Trying other mirror.
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO]
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-config.noarch 1.0-191.194.4.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-config-runtime.noarch 1.0-191.194.4.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_bwlimited.x86_64 1.4-47.54.14.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_cgi.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_deflate.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_expires.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_headers.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_mpm_prefork.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_proxy.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_proxy_fcgi.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_proxy_http.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_proxy_wstunnel.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_ruid2.x86_64 0.9.8-19.23.14.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_security2.x86_64 2.9.7-1.1.7.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_ssl.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-mod_unique_id.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-apache24-tools.x86_64 2.4.57-1.2.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-cpanel-tools.x86_64 1.0-69.72.1.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-libxml2.x86_64 2.10.4-1.1.1.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-pear.noarch 1.10.13-2.2.6.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-bcmath.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-calendar.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-cli.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-common.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-curl.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-devel.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-fpm.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-ftp.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-gd.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-iconv.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-imap.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-litespeed.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-mbstring.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-mysqlnd.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-pdo.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-posix.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-sockets.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php73-php-xml.x86_64 7.3.33-5.7.20.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-pear.noarch 1.10.13-2.2.7.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-bcmath.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-calendar.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-cli.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-common.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-curl.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-devel.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-fpm.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-ftp.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-gd.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:41:59 [INFO] ea-php74-php-iconv.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-imap.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-litespeed.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-mbstring.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-mysqlnd.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-pdo.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-posix.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-sockets.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php74-php-xml.x86_64 7.4.33-3.3.13.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.1.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-pear.noarch 1.10.13-2.2.6.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-bcmath.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-calendar.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-cli.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-common.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-curl.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-devel.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-fpm.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-ftp.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-gd.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-iconv.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-imap.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-litespeed.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-mbstring.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-mysqlnd.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-pdo.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-posix.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-sockets.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-php-xml.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.2.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] ea-php81-runtime.x86_64 8.1.18-1.1.1.cpanel EA4
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO]
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [WARN] Your system is not up to date please run: /usr/bin/yum update
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [WARN] *** Elevation Blocker detected: ***
System is not up to date
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] Checking EasyApache profile compatibility with AlmaLinux 8.
* 2023-04-20 11:42:02 [INFO] Running: /usr/local/bin/ea_current_to_profile --target-os=AlmaLinux_8 --output=/tmp/EoFUOll2y1/ea_profile.json
* 2023-04-20 11:42:03 [INFO] Backed up EA4 profile to /tmp/EoFUOll2y1/ea_profile.json
* 2023-04-20 11:42:05 [WARN] Please fix the detected issues before performing the elevation process.
[root@myhostname ~]#

 

[cPRex]

@udayasl - those seem like pretty standard warnings to me. Remove the conflicting packages, run a "yum update" and then perform the ELevate check again.

 

[rbairwell]

I upgraded our main server (a 4 core, 4Gb RAM machine) from Centos 7 to AlmaLinux 8 on the 19th of April. I started the upgrade at 15:01, it completed by 15:34 (when I removed the old kernels) and I got the "Successfully updated" email at 17:28. I did have to readd some PECL modules (igbinary, imagick, memcached) and the Imagick/Imagick-devel packages and reset the Host Access Control ( https://features.cpanel.net/topic/22707-host-access-control-importation-facilityother-enhancements ) - but there were no other problems (even though I did do a manual reboot halfway through the process as I thought it had hung as the remote console wouldn't connect).

An identical upgrade to my local development server took a few hours (16:21 to around 18:53) but that is a very very underpowered VPS (2 VCPUS under Hyper-V, 2Gb RAM) - again, no major problems.

 

[Optimizr]

@rbairwell Good to know. Thank you for sharing. My server has more than one TB of data and several cPanel accounts. That is why I am considering and checking thoroughly.

 

[cPRex]

@rbairwell - I'm glad to hear that went well!

 

[WebSavvyGuy]

I have to make an upgrade also and its kind of scary. I am actually thinking to just get another server and use Cpanel transfer tools between the two servers, install Ubuntu on the original server, then transfer tool everything back from the 2nd server back to the first.

So, when the server is actually updating during this elevating process, any websites on the server will be completely inactive?

 

[cPRex]

Yes, there will be several times where the server reboots, and some of these reboots can last an extended period of time. I've seen some of them take 40-60 minutes to complete the final reboot while all the changes are loaded.

 

[efuzone]

Hello,

how about if we are using cloudlinux OS do we still need to do this process?

 

[tommyxv]

IMO, It's much better to get a new server with a fresh install of Alma Linux at the same host (if you want to stay with them). Then migrate over to it. That's what I did to get off of Centos 7. My down time was about 90 mins. Let your host know what you are doing, and they should work with you on it as far are costs, cancelling the other server, etc.

 

[Optimizr]

It is not that simple in my case. I am with Digital Ocean and they said I can't do the in-place upgrade (which I did with Linode and no issue occurred for a single cPanel account with 3-4 sites).

But on my digital ocean server, I have more than a thousand of websites. Creating a new server will change the IP address of the server and I have to update DNS for those thousand of websites. Digital Ocean said, I can't migrate or reserve the current IP as well.

IMO, cPanel should work or negotiate closely with them to find a way for smooth migration. Now, I am starting to hate Digital Ocean.

At the same time, I wonder if I can remain on the CentOS 7 and what if, if I don't migrate to Rocky or Alma?

 

[cPRex]

At the same time, I wonder if I can remain on the CentOS 7 and what if, if I don't migrate to Rocky or Alma?

If you choose this path, you won't be able to get OS or cPanel updates, which will quickly leave your system vulnerable to security issues.

IMO, cPanel should work or negotiate closely with them to find a way for smooth migration. Now, I am starting to hate Digital Ocean.

How they handle their hardware, network, and operations isn't something we have any control over. Moving an IP address is often limited to the network layout and physical distance within the datacenter, so I understand if that isn't possible, although it doesn't make things easier.

 

[Optimizr]

@cPRex

The elevation is required not because of the users but because of the OS cPanel rely on was discontinued. cPanel should provide full support on this. The team should find a way for smooth transition for every users because changing DNS for thousands of site is not easy and efficient.

And the server configurations cannot be copied too. This is just suck.

 

[cPRex]

The same could be said for any piece of software. We frequently retire PHP versions as the distributor stops maintaining them and they become obsolete, and the same thing happens with the operating systems.

If ELevate isn't an option for you, a traditional migration using the Transfer Tool is the best way to move the data, but this seems like more of a limitation from your host than from any cPanel tools.

 

[ffeingol]

And the server configurations cannot be copied too. This is just suck.

While I agree that forklifting servers is not great, you can copy the server config with the transfer tool.

 

[Optimizr]

While I agree that forklifting servers is not great, you can copy the server config with the transfer tool.

Do you mean from CentOS 7's configuration to AlmaLinux 8?