runbooks/cloudron-server-migration.md

# Cloudron server migration — Hostinger → Infomaniak

Pre-flight and cutover runbook for moving the co-op's Cloudron server. Written
2026-10-29 from a live inventory of the server; revised 2026-10-30 after a read-only
review against live DNS, federation and backup state. **Owner:** Nathan. **Executor:**
whoever is at the console that weekend — assume it is not the person who wrote this.

The server being migrated hosts `my.inference.coop` and **16 apps**. The agent host is a
separate machine (already on Infomaniak) and is NOT part of this migration.

## 1. What Cloudron's backup covers — verified, not assumed

- All 16 apps and their `/app/data` (localstorage), plus addons: postgres, mysql,
  mongodb, redis.
- Cloudron platform config: domains, dashboard users, app env vars, TLS config, backup
  target settings, scheduled tasks.
- **The container registry app, 3.8 GB of custom images** (`librechat`, `litellm`,
  `admin-panel`, `member-portal`, `member-dashboard`). These exist nowhere else — if the
  registry does not restore, the custom apps cannot start.
- Size check that confirms app data is included: ~5.8 GB of app data visible inside
  containers vs ~4.6 GB per backup run.

Apps: chat, chat-legacy (OpenWebUI), inference.coop (Surfer), forum (Loomio), matrix
(Synapse), gateway (LiteLLM), panel, registry, git (Gitea), vault (Vaultwarden), portal,
search (SearXNG), dashboard, newsletter (Listmonk), email (Cloudron Mail), cloud
(Nextcloud).

## 2. What it does NOT cover

- **The host OS layer.** Ubuntu itself, netplan, cloud-init, `sshd` config,
  `authorized_keys`, hostname, PTR, provider firewall, hand-edited `/etc`. Build the new
  box; do not expect to restore it.
- **The Cloudron licence/subscription** — must be moved to the new server.
- **DNS records.** Manual at yoursrs.com (domains.coop NS). Cloudron cannot manage them.
- **The backup target config and passphrase** — chicken-and-egg by design.
- **App data written to a host path instead of `/app/data`** — see the audit in §3.
- **Anything on the old box outside Cloudron** (e.g. `/etc` tweaks). Diff before
  decommissioning.

Not a gap, despite looking like one: our custom images (registry is an app, backed up),
and the agent's own state (different machine).

## 3. Pre-flight

Companion sheet: `dns-change-sheet.md` (every record, current value, target value).

**Blocker — do this first.** The Vault app (`vault.inference.coop`) runs *on the server
being migrated*, and the backup passphrase is believed to live there. The credentials
needed to restore are inside the thing being restored.

- [ ] Export the Vault contents and store them off-server (personal password manager or
      offline media). Confirm the **Cloudron backup passphrase** is in your own hands.
- [ ] Confirm the backup target's S3 access key is available off-box. The agent host has
      `~/.hermes/security/backup_sites_backup.json` (0600) — check whether it carries the
      key; if not, retrieve it from the Infomaniak console.
- [x] New host capacity: **4 CPU, 12 GB RAM, 250 GB disk** (given 2026-10-30) — ample for
      ~6 GB of app data plus images. Old box used ~17 GB of 58 GB.
- [x] OS: **Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is supported** — Cloudron's install docs specify a fresh
      Ubuntu 26.04 x64 server. Minimums are 2 GB RAM / 20 GB disk; the new box has
      12 GB / 250 GB. Resolved 2026-10-30.
- [ ] **Version floor: install Cloudron ≥ 10.1.5**, the platform version this box runs
      (`/api/v1/cloudron/status` → `10.1.5`; backup manifests read `box_v10.1.5`). The
      earlier note of "9.0.4" was the *CLI* version, not the platform — a restore cannot go
      backwards.
- [ ] **Install now, stop before the wizard.** `cloudron-setup --domain my.inference.coop`
      installs Docker, the platform and the CLI, and needs no DNS of its own — certificate
      issuance will simply fail and retry until DNS moves (harmless, but it does mean ACME
      attempts against a hostname still pointing at Hostinger; watch Let's Encrypt rate
      limits). **Leave the browser setup wizard for cutover day**: that is where the
      restore-from-backup and the subscription/plan are chosen, and completing it early
      risks moving the subscription off the live server. Verify that risk before touching
      the wizard — it is the one step worth reading twice.
- [ ] Confirm the Cloudron subscription can be moved to a new server (do it at cutover,
      not early).
- [ ] **IPv6: DECIDED — repoint.** The new box has `2001:1600:18:206::89`, so all 18
      AAAA records move with the A records (§3 originally left this open). The zone carries
      **AAAA records on 18 hostnames** — everything that has an A record — all pointing to
      `2a02:4780:6e:83fd::1` (Hostinger's range). Counted 2026-10-30; the full list is in
      `dns-change-sheet.md`. This is 18 deletions or repoints, not a footnote. If the new box has IPv6, repoint them;
      if it does not, **delete the AAAA records** as part of the switch. Changing only
      the A records leaves every IPv6-capable client — including other Matrix
      homeservers and mail senders — still reaching the old box.
- [ ] Set **rDNS/PTR → `my.inference.coop` on BOTH `179.237.86.116` and
      `2001:1600:18:206::89`**. Cloudron cannot do this — PTR belongs to the IP owner and
      exists only in the Infomaniak console. The console lists reverse DNS as unconfigured for both.
      Not time-sensitive — do it now. If IPv6 sending causes trouble later, disable v6
      egress for SMTP rather than removing the AAAA.
- [ ] **Open these in the INFOMANIAK console, not on the host** (measured 2026-10-30: 22
      answers, 80/443 are silently dropped — a provider firewall default). Cloudron manages
      the host's own iptables but explicitly does not touch the provider firewall: its docs
      say "ensure the firewall does not block port 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS)". Ports:
      **22, 80, 443, 25, 465, 587, 993** (plus 995 and 4190 to match the old box; leave
      8448, 110 and 143 closed). Verified 2026-10-30 against what the old box serves:
      22/80/443/465/587/993/995/4190 answer; 8448, 110, 143 and 25 are dropped. The 25
      result is not trustworthy — it came from a server whose network may block outbound
      25 — and it must be open, because the platform has **inbound mail enabled**:
      `GET /api/v1/mail` → `{"domain":"inference.coop","inbound":true,
      "dkimSelector":"cloudron","relay":{"provider":"cloudron-smtp"}}`. The DKIM selector
      there matches the `cloudron._domainkey` TXT record, which is a useful cross-check. (mail delivery
      — test from outside, e.g. `telnet my.inference.coop 25` once DNS moves; note that
      many networks block *outbound* 25, so a closed result from inside another server is
      not conclusive). **8448 is intentionally closed** — federation is delegated to
      443 via the apex `.well-known` (verified live:
      `inference.coop/.well-known/matrix/server` → `{"m.server":"matrix.inference.coop:443"}`).
      Do not "fix" 8448. Do not add ufw rules that fight Docker; the old box runs with
      ufw inactive and Cloudron-managed iptables.
- [ ] **DMARC is `p=reject; pct=100`.** Strict. After the restore, any DKIM/SPF
      misalignment means outbound mail is *discarded by recipients*, not junked. The
      DKIM TXT record (`cloudron._domainkey`) must match the key inside the restored
      mail app's data — verify both rather than assuming.
- [ ] **Mount audit on the Cloudron host** — the one class of data the backup cannot see:

      sudo docker ps -q | xargs -I{} sudo docker inspect {} \
        --format '{{.Name}} {{range .Mounts}}{{.Source}}=>{{.Destination}} {{end}}' \
        | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -v /app/data

      **RESOLVED 2026-10-30:** the host mount is Nextcloud's `/var/lib/nextcloud`, **3 MB**,
      holding only `preview/` (regenerable thumbnails) — not a data-loss risk. Re-run this
      audit only if apps change before the cutover; it is now a confirm, not an unknown.
- [ ] Leave the **single snapshot slot free** for a post-restore, pre-DNS-switch snapshot —
      a bad restore then becomes a revert instead of a rebuild.
- [ ] Record the highest backup run number before the freeze. (As of 2026-10-30 the
      newest run is healthy at ~4.6 GB and the backup space was enlarged, so the quota
      pressure that produced the `EntityTooLarge` failures is relieved — but run growth
      is still the number to watch: 2.6 → 4.6 GB per run over two weeks.)
- [ ] Lower all A **and AAAA** record TTLs to 300 s **a day early**. The zone TTL is
      **3600 s** — an earlier note read 760–1642 s, which was a decrementing *cache
      countdown*, not the configured TTL. At 3600 s, propagation after the switch takes
      up to an hour, which is exactly the window where the old box must not be accepting
      writes (§4).
- [ ] List external allowlists that carry our IP: Regolo, GreenPT, Tinfoil, any mail relay,
      and inbound webhooks. Update after cutover.
- [ ] SSH host keys change with the box. Accept the new fingerprint deliberately, in
      advance, so a strict-host-key refusal doesn't stop you mid-migration.
- [ ] Announce the window in `#updates`.

## 4. Cutover, in order

1. **Freeze writes.** Pause the portal's `membership_sweep` and `rag_refresh`, hold
   Listmonk campaigns.
2. **Final backup on the old box.** Run "Backup now" and confirm state `normal`.
   Everything after this timestamp is *lost* in a forward migration.
3. **Stop the apps on the old box** — all of them, including mail. Keep the *machine*
   powered on for rollback, but nothing may accept writes from here on: during the
   up-to-one-hour DNS propagation, a still-serving old box silently collects Matrix
   messages, Gitea pushes, API spend and mail into a database that gets thrown away.
   Clients and mail senders retry; that is the correct failure mode.
4. **Stop the old box's backup schedule** (Settings → Backups → disable). Two Cloudrons
   writing one target interleave and produce `EntityTooLarge` quota failures.
5. **Build the new box and restore** from the Infomaniak S3 target, using the passphrase
   from §3. Expect TLS to fail until DNS moves — reach the dashboard by IP or a temporary
   override.
6. **Switch the A records — and the AAAA records** (repoint or delete, per the §3
   decision).
7. Wait out the TTL (up to an hour at 3600 s if not lowered), then confirm certificates
   issued.
8. **Re-enable backups on the new box — once daily at 23:00, retention 7 days.** (This is
   now applied on the old box — schedule `00 00 23 * * *`, verified — re-check it on the
   new box after restore rather than assuming.)
9. Update external allowlists. The old box stays powered on with apps stopped, for
   rollback only.

## 5. Post-restore verification

- [ ] Dashboard loads with a valid certificate; all 16 apps `running`.
- [ ] **One custom app loads** — e.g. `panel.inference.coop`. This is the proof the
      registry restored; without it nothing custom starts.
- [ ] **The apex `.well-known` answers** — `curl https://inference.coop/.well-known/matrix/server`
      must return `{"m.server":"matrix.inference.coop:443"}`. It is served by the *website*
      app, so if that app's data is missing, federation breaks while
      `matrix.inference.coop` itself still looks healthy. Then:
      `curl -s https://matrix.inference.coop/_matrix/federation/v1/version`.
- [ ] Data spot-checks: Matrix login + a room loads; Gitea repo list; portal
      `/admin/overview` returns the expected member count; gateway `/v1/models`.
- [ ] Mail: MX resolves to the new IP; SPF still `a:my.inference.coop`; the DKIM TXT
      (`cloudron._domainkey`) matches the restored key; PTR correct; **send to an
      external mailbox and confirm it actually arrived** (DMARC is `p=reject` — a silent
      discard is the failure mode, not a junk folder); receive from outside; **test
      port 25 inbound from a third network**.
- [ ] Agent API access: `cloudron list` from the agent host. The API token lives in
      Cloudron's config so it should survive; if it does not, mint a new one and update the
      agent's `.env`.
- [ ] Schedules fire **once**, not twice: portal sweeps, Listmonk, agent digests.
- [ ] First backup on the new box is `normal` and in the expected size range.

## 6. Rollback

- Keep the old box **powered on with apps stopped** for several days. Rollback = point DNS
  back and start the apps.
- Do not delete old snapshots from S3 until the new box has at least one verified backup
  run.
- Know the asymmetry: anything written between the final backup and the DNS switch exists
  **only on the old box**. Rolling forward discards it; rolling back keeps it. §4 step 3
  (stop apps) is what keeps that window empty rather than merely short.

## 7. Open unknowns — resolve before cutover

- **Are MAILBOX CONTENTS inside the Cloudron backup?** Mail is ON for
  `inference.coop` with inbound enabled, and the mail server is part of the
*platform*, not the Mail app's container (that app listens only on 3000 — it is a
  UI, not an MTA). Platform config is backed up, so the DKIM key and mail settings
  survive; whether members' mailboxes do is **unverified** and would be silent,
  permanent data loss if they do not. Confirm against Cloudron's docs or the
  dashboard's backup contents before the freeze. This is now the most consequential
  open question in this runbook.
- Whether the Vault export (§3 blocker) has actually been done.
- The Cloudron host's OS version, disk and RAM (not visible over the API).
- Whether the S3 access key is in the off-box JSON or only inside Cloudron.
- Whether any provider API key is bound to our current IP.
- Whether the subscription permits a server move.

## 8. Pitfalls this server has already produced

- **Quota failures:** 4.82 GB per run twice daily hit the Infomaniak ceiling
  (`Upload exceeds quota`). The space has since been enlarged and the schedule is now
  once daily — both verified — but per-run size grows (2.6 → 4.6 GB in two weeks), mostly
  registry image blobs. If the ceiling ever returns, the durable fix is getting the
  rebuildable images out of every snapshot, not deleting backups.
- **The once-a-day change cannot be made over the API** — dashboard only. Historically it
  was reported as done and was not. Verified applied 2026-10-30.
- **`cloudron update --image` reads the manifest from the current directory.** Running it
  from the wrong repo fails with `manifest id does not match`, which looks like a server
  problem and is not.
- **The agent host is not migrated** but will see errors while DNS moves. It needs no
  config change: every reference is a hostname, including `--server my.inference.coop`.
  Its 30-minute webhook watch will fire during the window and may raise false alarms;
  the daily digest now compares against its previous run before flagging, so one-off
  transients should not reach you as decisions.
- **A DNS cache countdown is not a zone TTL.** Reading 760–1642 s off a resolver answer
  and writing it into this runbook as "the TTL" was wrong — the configured TTL was 3600 s
  all along. Query the zone at the registrar (or trust a fresh authoritative answer) for
  planning numbers.