Datacenter Migration - Clone vs Support Migration Request
When wanting to migrate your instance from one datacenter to another, what is the difference between cloning the original instance to another instance in a different location and submitting a support ticket requesting a migration to the desired datacenter location?
Thanks!
2 Replies
rmyers
Linode Staff
Hey there - the biggest difference, in my opinion, is that a clone isn't "atomic", in that once you finish up the clone, you can boot up the original source Linode and have it continue running and serving clients while you modify/configure/verify the cloned Linode. Once you're set to "cut over" to the new Linode, you can change DNS if you need to and have them both running simultaneously until you're confident and ready to shut down the source Linode. You'll end up paying a bit for having two Linodes running at the same time, but the cost per hour is so low that this is likely worth it to make sure your cloned Linode is ready to roll.
If your Linode isn't in production, or isn't "mission critical" or what have you, having the Support Team configure a migration for you might be easier.
Thank you! For the longest time I was under the impression that if I wanted to move my instance to a different datacenter/location, I had to open up a ticket with support asking for a migration. It's good to know that I can do this myself. Thanks for clarifying!