Filed with Developers Clone Server Configuration [Case 42206, Case 55507]

[cPanelDavidG]

Greetings All,

I have been hearing several suggestions for the ability to clone a cPanel/WHM server's configuration to another server, so I thought I'd start a discussion thread so we can determine how you would prefer this be implemented.

I know this request is similar to http://forums.cpanel.net/f145/server...nc-134889.html but that seems to have implications of multi-server redundancy, whereas the context of what I've been hearing outside the forums is being able to fully configure a cPanel/WHM server then clone all of the configuration to newly provisioned servers.

Is this a feature you believe would be best implemented just as a shell script or should it be available in WHM as well? Should this be an export/import process involving the transport of a file or a command to push the configuration to a different remote server (after entering the root credentials of that remote server, of course)? If you employ automated solutions for server deployment, how should this be constructed so it works well with your deployment automation?

This seems to be functionality data centers are looking for, I just want to start a conversation on how we can implement this in a way that is convenient for you.

[Datcrack]

Waoww.. Believe it or not but I just came to make a request for this !!!

This is a highly needed feature by us where we generally have to manually make the configuration to WHM from top to bottom everytime a new server is provisioned. Which of course makes it a pain the neck where we usually forget some things and where some servers are much stable then others because of this.

Is this a feature you believe would be best implemented just as a shell script or should it be available in WHM as well?

Should be in WHM.

Should this be an export/import process involving the transport of a file or a command to push the configuration to a different remote server (after entering the root credentials of that remote server, of course)?

A push pull would be great but should also have the capability to import a configurations file incase there is no server to import from.

If you employ automated solutions for server deployment, how should this be constructed so it works well with your deployment automation?

This should include configurations of everything. Not just Tweak Settings and Email Settings but also easyapache configuration or such. Perhaps this configuration could even be loaded when cpanel is first installed from the shell.

[the_bobara]

This would be great feature!
Some of us have already implemented perl/bash scripts that do rsync between already configured server to new server.
I think the best way is to do profiling for all the configurations on cPanel server just like easyapache.
So we can make profiles for different kind of cPanel server and only can switch between them.
For example xml file with the settings that can be imported from WHM or command line.

[AlexAT]

It's definitely required.
And not only for DC but also for providers with several servers.

In general I personally would like to have possibility to export configuration from existing cPanel server to say XML file.
Then I'd like to have possibility to import this file onto any other cPanel server.

This will allow to tune 1 server and then apply those tuning to all other servers quickly.


Yes, WHM page is preferable but script is required (since this task most for admins and they like shell prompt and possibility to do impoirt/export momentary and on many servers).


Import/export should have config file with lines:
Feature: Enabled to export or Disabled.
Like:
Packages: Enabled -> will export all the packages.
WHM \ Tweak Settings: Enabled -> will export all the Tweak Settings.

In dreams such settings should be for every ROOT WHM sections.

[forlinuxsupport]

Yes, please implement a WHM clone option.

Recently we have started moving our older clients off CentOS 4 and onto CentOS 5.

It takes ages to setup the new servers cpanel so it matches all the settings - for example
Tweak settings, php and apache settings (easyapache), exim settings etc

Once those settings are done, we then simply use the domain migrate wizard - which usually works GREAT !!!

Regards
Andy

[verdon]

I like the idea of an export/import xml file workflow (easy to tweak the xml that way). I don't care if it's CL only or whether it's part of the WHM GUI. I suspect most people using it would be comfortable working in a shell, so probably the GUI would be of pretty secondary importance.

[the_bobara]

CLI would be great as many of us has scripts for parallel execution of command on many servers.

[SoftDux]

I think this would be a great feature to add to cPanel. Furthermore I think it would be awesome to automatically sync all general settings (like software versions installed, packages, features, reseller options, tweak settings, etc) to all servers in the group. i.e. If we update Apache to the latest, instead of having to login to each server and run it manually, it would be nice to have the "master" server initiate the update, and deploy all the extra new settings (like enabling Ioncube for example) automatically on all the servers.

[DomineauX]

I would love to see this ability provided.
Setting up a new server and being able to import a standard set of all options/settings to have the server prepared would save much time and hassle.

Everything beside hostname/ips/name servers should be included and I think CLI would be more important than a WHM interface as anyone needing the ability to deploy servers from a standard config is likely comfortable in shell and could then import the config as soon as the Cpanel/WHM installer completes.

[InterServed]

+1 Vote for this awesome feature !

[VeZoZ]

This would be great to have a CLI interface preferably. We use puppet right now to handle that sort of thing.

[trhosting.net]

Whether in WHM or not, this is a great feature.

+1

[arhs]

+1 Vote for this feature !

[zigzam]

+1 Vote from me. This feature would have saved me many hours of configuring.

[cesarlwh]

+1 Vote for this feature !