Server Re-imaging

Server Re-imaging

The re-imaging functionality allows to replace your server disk contents with a previously taken server snapshot stored in Memstore™, our cloud storage solution, or re-install the base operating system using one of our stock images.

This means you can return your server to a previous state at any time.

Images Types

There are some basic restrictions regarding the images which can be used for re-imaging a server:

• The image must contain the same type of operating system: a Linux raw image can't be used to re-image a Windows Miniserver and a Windows image can't be used to re-image a Linux Miniserver.
• The destination server must have enough disk space, otherwise the re-imaging will fail.

Please refer to the server snapshot documentation for more information about image types.

Re-imaging a Server

To re-image a server, go to the Manage page of the Miniserver you want to re-image and click on Server Snapshots and Re-imaging in the Management Tools section. This will show you the following page:

On this page, on the right column, there is a form to schedule the re-image of the server.

First you must select the storage you want to scan for snapshots. Once you select your Memstore product, the snapshot selector will be populated with all the valid snapshots found in the miniserver-snapshots container.

The snapshot selector will display:

• The name of the original server from which the snapshot was taken from.
• The date and time the snapshot was taken.
• The image type of the snapshot.
• The operating system name (for stock images).

Finally you must enter an email address where you'll be notified when the re-imaging is completed. The time duration will depend on the size and type of image (for example: a ntfsclone image of a Windows 20GB disk server will take around 10 minutes).

When you click on Re-image, a summary dialog window is displayed asking for your confirmation:

• The server won't be available during the operation.
• Your current server data will be destroyed and that process can't be undone.

Common Errors and Support

Microsoft Windows Miniservers may need manual network configuration after re-imaging if the used image was from a different server.

The re-imaging process can fail, and the most common reason is an invalid or damaged snapshot. When a re-imaging fails the server is not operational, but the re-imaging can be repeated even with a different image. Please follow the instructions provided by email and on your management page.

Finally, if you can't get your server back into an operational state, remember you can always contact our support team.