Easy restart question

Heya,

The information provided here is all you need to handle this. I will also mention that you should take a backup before going with the steps, just to be on the safe side.

You can either take a full backup of your droplet or take a snapshot. Backups and Snapshots both produce a complete disk image of your droplet at a particular point in time. You can restore the droplet’s state using the image. DigitalOcean also lets you spin up a new droplet with the backup or snapshot image as its base. The difference lies in how the image is created. “Backups” is a fully-managed automated system. Backups are enabled on a per-droplet basis. When active, DigitalOcean will create a disk image each week. The backup will be retained for four weeks, so you’ll have four different recovery options.

https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/images/backups/

https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/images/snapshots/

Regards

Heya,

Here are some steps on how to proceed with such stuff,

1. Update Your System

First, it’s important to apply all available updates, especially the security ones. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update        # Fetches the list of available updates 
sudo apt upgrade       # Upgrades all the packages

2. Handle the System Restart

If your system indicates that a restart is required, it’s usually because some of the updates involve the kernel or other critical system components. To restart your server, use:

sudo reboot

After the reboot, reconnect to your server via SSH.

3. View Details of Non-Installed Updates

To see the updates that were not installed automatically, you can check the log file:

cat /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log

This command will display the contents of the log file, showing you details about the updates.

4. Consider Upgrading to the New Release

The message about a new release (22.04.3 LTS) suggests there’s a newer version of your operating system available. Before you decide to upgrade:

sudo do-release-upgrade

This command will start an interactive upgrade process. Follow the on-screen instructions carefully. The process may take some time depending on your server’s specifications and internet connection speed.

Before you do any upgrades to a new release, I’ll recommend you to backup your Droplet, check the Snapshot product:

https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/images/snapshots/

Hey!

There are a few things to consider here, but before making any upgrades it is always recomended to have a backup of your server. That way in case of anything going wrong, you can restore back to a working version of your server.

Ideally, I think the safest path that maximizes speed is to make a snapshot, make a duplicate Droplet from it, run do-release-upgrade on the duplicated Droplet. If it works, then you can decide how important that IP and uptime is to you and either stick with the new one or upgrade the old one. If it doesn’t, you know to set aside some time and then do a migration-style.

Here is a rundown of the process in both cases:

1. Updating Your System: You’ve been notified that 144 updates are available, with 2 of them being security updates. It’s crucial to apply these updates to ensure your server is secure and running smoothly. You can do so by running the following command:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   

   This command refreshes your package lists with the latest available versions and then upgrades all the installed packages to their latest versions.

2. Checking Upgradable Packages: If you’re curious about the specific packages that are upgradable, especially the security updates, you can list them using:

   apt list --upgradable
   

   This will give you an overview of what’s going to be updated before you proceed with the upgrade.

3. Upgrading to a New Release: The message also mentions a new release ‘22.04.3 LTS’ is available. Upgrading to a new release can bring significant changes and improvements to your system. To upgrade, run:

   sudo do-release-upgrade
   

   Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade process. It’s a good idea to review the release notes for the new version beforehand to be aware of any major changes or potential issues.

4. Dealing with Unattended Upgrades: The message indicates that 1 update could not be installed automatically. To investigate this, check the log file mentioned:

   cat /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log
   

   This log file can provide insights into why the update failed and how you might resolve it. Depending on the issue, you may need to manually fix package dependencies or remove conflicting packages.

5. System Restart: Lastly, the message ends with a note that a system restart is required. This is often needed after kernel updates or certain system updates to apply changes. To restart your server, simply run:

   sudo reboot
   

   Make sure to save any open work and inform any users if necessary before rebooting.

As mentioned initially, always back up important data before undertaking system upgrades or major changes, just to be on the safe side.

Considering a New Droplet

Creating a new Droplet and migrating your files from an old server to a new one is a common task that can be efficiently handled using tools like rsync for command-line based transfers or FileZilla for a GUI-based approach. Below are the steps for both methods:

Setting Up a New Droplet

1. Create a New Droplet:

   • Log into your DigitalOcean dashboard.
   • Click on the “Create” button, then select “Droplets.”
   • Choose an image (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) and a size according to your needs. Or select the LAMP image from the Marketplace.
   • Select a datacenter region.
   • Choose any additional options (e.g., SSH keys) for your Droplet.
   • Click the “Create Droplet” button.

2. Access Your New Droplet:

   • Once the droplet is created, access it via SSH using its IP address:

     ssh root@your_new_droplet_ip
     

   • Replace your_new_droplet_ip with the actual IP address of your new Droplet.

Transferring Files with rsync

rsync is a powerful tool that allows you to efficiently transfer and synchronize files across systems over SSH.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-rsync-to-sync-local-and-remote-directories

Transferring Files with FileZilla

FileZilla is a user-friendly, GUI-based tool that supports FTP, SFTP, and FTPS file transfers.

1. Install FileZilla:

   • Download and install FileZilla from the official website.

2. Connect to Your Old Droplet:

   • Follow the steps in this guide to connect to your old Droplet using FileZilla:

   https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/transfer-files/

   • Next download your website files to your local machine.

3. Connect to Your New Droplet in a New Tab:

   • Repeat the connection steps for your new Droplet.
   • Upload the files you downloaded from your old Droplet to the new Droplet.

Final Steps

• Verify Transfer: After transferring files, verify that all necessary data is successfully moved and correctly set up on the new droplet.
• Configure Services: Ensure that any services or applications you’re running are properly configured to work with the new paths or any new system configurations on your new droplet.
• DNS Update: Remember to update your DNS records to point to the new droplet’s IP address if the migrated services are publicly accessible.

Best,

Bobby