Clone Server-A to Server-B

[2ndChance]

I am running with some old server hardware which is also used to run my cPanel instance, and it is occurring me some difficulties . I will be installing a new server after 2 days. What is the exact proceedure for cloning an cpanel server ? I am not gettin that it is just the accounts, I meant entire DNS, mail, http etc infomarion as well. I don't need to lose anything. This server is also my primary and secondary nameserver for all my clients domains.

-Should I use Ghost to image the drive?
-Should I install the OS and as well as cPanel on the newly eshtablished server, and copy over particular directories?
-Should I do something else?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Snake08]

I would not suggest you to clone your harddrive 1:1, because you are already running with so many hardware installed and more. I would recommend you to perform the installation of a new and fresh OS then after install the CPanel then do entire configuration like you have on your current machine (similar DNS configuration and so on.) then I would use the account copy function and copy entire applicable accounts upon. DNS entries, httpd.conf entries etc will be made on the new machine at the time of copy process.

[2ndChance]

Thanks for your prompt replies but I have some confusion after all. How would I get to know that which one files require to be copied in order to duplicate my system though? I meant, what if I loss the SSL key or something of some user on my site ? I am not getting any list of those directories which requires to be copied at some location ? I find it hard to believe that I am one of the user that has rounding into the issue before where a component has destroyed and you require to establish new one server!

[Zachary]

I wanted to share some of my experience with you . I have perform this task so many times as I evolve my hosting platforms and other than some hicups such as missing a whm package or a missed dns zone I havn't had any hard issues at all!

Cloning the drive and OS would be a worst suggestion according to my point of view and the account importation task will definitely cause you much less aggro as apposed to cloning. If you are getting any account importation associated issues like as a "missing ssl key" as you suggest then I know that these hicups will be nothing that are unable to be resolved by a competent system administrator in which I must stress that cPanel/WHM is no substitute.

[Shen]

If you done the CPanel backups, you will get the following :-

/$backup/cpbackup/daily/files
/$backup/cpbackup/daily/dirs

These two folders have all the config files needed to restore the accounts onto different server, when the cpanel has completed the installation onto it. Easily untarring those files and directories or rsync them directly from the root file system and perform the rsync to transfer them for a new server. This is more faster and minimum errors than using the whm account copies.

The users /home files can be unzipped from /$backup/cpbackup/daily/user.tar.gz or directly from /home of course,then copy the $user/homedir to /home/$user.. I have written and tagged scripts to perform this on this forum. Will you be working with the same IP's on the new box?