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KalenGi
Asked: 2019-09-04 06:20:51 +0800 CST

How do I restore an old Ubuntu backup to a new server

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I have an Ubuntu 12.04 backup that I did in 2017. I want to restore it to a server having Ubuntu 18.04. I've tried simply restoring the files with the exception of /boot and /etc/fstab as instructed here: https://serverfault.com/a/177230/124296

The first problem I have is that the new sudo user account is getting mapped to a random (I guess matching the user id) old account and I don't have the required password (I only have the one for root). Essentially if I do sudo after the restore I can't authenticate.

The second issue is that when I try to connect on a new Putty session it's unable to start an SSH session so I can't login as the old root account.

Is there a way to merge the old and new user accounts so I continue to use the new sudo user after the restore?

Are there files/directories I should avoid overwriting so the new system gets the applications and settings of the old one without rendering it unusable?

backup restore

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    What you're trying to do is impossible:

    There are 2 kinds of backups:

    • System Backups
    • Data Backups

    A System Backup should be restored to an empty hard drive and it'll boot

    A Data Backup should be restored to a running system

    What you're trying to do is to restore a Data Backup of / to a running system and that will not work! So restore the /home/xxx/Videos, Documents, Pictures but do not restore the system files, unless you have a Cold¹, Off-line System backup

    Note 1: for the pros: yes, I know you can make warm, on-line system backups, but it doesn't look like the OP has one of these.

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