Migrating Your Linode Between Datacenters
Linode currently offers eight datacenters worldwide, and there may come a time where you no longer want to keep your Linode in the location you built it. Fear not, as this is where the magic of Linode’s cloud comes into play! Because your server is “virtual,” you can move it to a different location across the world in very little time.
Datacenter Locations
Your Linode virtual server can live in one of eight locations:
- Newark, NJ
- Atlanta, GA
- Dallas, TX
- Fremont, CA
- London
- Frankfurt, FRG
- Tokyo
- Singapore
It’s best to keep your Linode located near where it will be used most. If you’re primarily using your server for your own work, keep it closest to your location.
If you have a large customer base in a region far away from where you are located, it might be best to locate your server in a more proximate datacenter to provide your customers the quickest load times. Regardless of the location, your server will still be accessible worldwide.
Migrating Your Server to a Different Datacenter
Although moving your Linode to a different datacenter is pretty simple, it can only be performed with the help from a Linode support team member. You must first plan a migration set-up by opening a support ticket from the Linode Manager, requesting a migration to a specific datacenter.
Before performing a migration, you should be aware of two primary issues:
- All IP addresses attached to your Linode will change
- Any backups you may have stored will be removed
- If you recognize these two caveats when first requesting the migration, you’ll likely save some time in getting your migration configured — and then executed.
Once Linode’s customer support has configured the migration, you’ll be able to start it on your own from the Linode Manager. The Linode support representative will provide additional instructions on performing this from the Linode Manager.
Your Linode will be powered down and taken offline — for a short time — while the migration is performed. The transfer time varies based on the amount of disk space you have allocated to your Linode.
You will be free to power the Linode back on after the transfer is completed. Alternately, during the transfer you can queue an automatic boot job to occur upon migration completion.
Prepare Your Linode For Use
Because the IP addresses changed on your Linode, it may not be reachable right away after migration. If your network settings use DHCP, then you should be fine upon booting in the new location.
If you have static networking enabled, you’ll need to access your Linode using LISH to make changes to your network configuration for the new IP addresses, or enable the Network Helper feature on Linode.
Additionally, any services directly referencing your old IP address, which may be found in certain virtual host configurations in Apache or Nginx, will need to be updated. To make quick and easy IP changes, keep tabs on everywhere this information is directly referenced, and reference it as little as possible.
That’s all it takes! If you have any further questions, drop a comment below or contact our support team.
