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VPS Linux: Use Grml for data recovery

For VPS purchased after 2023/05/16

This article explains how you can use the Grml DVD to back up your VPS data. The Grml DVD contains a number of useful programmes that you can use for data recovery.

Note

If you no longer have the root password and need to reset it, you will find instructions on how to do this in the following article:

Reset root password (VPS)

Download DVD Grml latest_iso

  • Log in to your IONOS account log in.

  • In the title bar, click on Menu > Server & Cloud.

    Optional: Select the desired Server & Cloud contract.

  • Activate the desired server.

  • Click on DVD drive.

  • Select the DVD grml latest_iso.

  • Click on Load DVD.

Boot Grml from DVD

  • Click on Actions > Restart.
  • Click on Yes.
  • Click on Actions > Open remote console.
    The remote console opens. Wait until the boot process is complete.
  • Press the Enter button.

Set password for the root user and start SSH service

  • To set a password for the root user in Grml, enter the command below. The password is required later for external access.

    root@grml ~ # passwd

  • Enter the new password and repeat it.

  • To start the SSH service and enable external access, enter the following command:

    root@grml ~ # /etc/init.d/ssh start

Call up information on existing data carriers and determine the root partition

  • To call up information on all discs, enter the following command:

    root@grml ~ # fdisk -l

  • Determine the root partition. The name of the root partition for a VPS with Ubuntu 22.04 is /dev/vda1, for example.

Use Fsck for file system errors

If you have been shown file system errors, you should check the file system for consistency using a file system check.

Caution

A file system check must not be carried out with mounted and/or encrypted partitions, as this may result in data loss.

Therefore, make sure that the partition is not mounted or encrypted before checking it with the File System Check.

To check a partition with the File System Check, replace the placeholders in the command below and then enter it:

root@grml ~ # sudo fsck -f /PATH/PARTITION


Example:

root@grml ~ # sudo fsck -f /dev/vda1

 

You can find more information about fsck on the following page:

https://linux.die.net/man/8/fsck

Mount partitions

If your server boots normally, your partitions are automatically mounted at startup so that you have access to the files. If you boot a server with the Grml DVD, the partitions are not mounted automatically. To gain access to your data and back it up via SSH or FTP, you must mount the partitions manually.

Before mounting the partitions, we recommend that you create a temporary backup.

To mount the root partition, adapt the command below and then enter it:

root@grml ~ # sudo mount /dev/MY_ROOT_PARTITION /mnt

Replace the placeholder MY_ROOT_PARTITION with the name of the root partition of your VPS. Example:

root@grml ~ # sudo mount /dev/vda1 /mnt

Access data

Once the file system is mounted, you can use the following access data to access the file system using an SSH or SFTP connection:

Host: Server IP

User: root

Password: (password that you have set)

Port: 22

Path of the file system: /mnt


Instructions on how to establish an encrypted network connection to your server with your computer are listed in the following articles:

Computers with Windows operating systems

Computers with Linux operating systems

Save data from the server to a local computer using FileZilla

To back up your server data to a local computer, you can use the FileZilla programme. FileZilla is available for computers with Windows, MacOS and Linux operating systems.

You can download the latest installation file for your operating system from the following URL:

https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client

To establish a connection to your server with FileZilla and download the files on it to a local computer, proceed as follows:

Prerequisites
  • You have booted the server using the Grml DVD.
  • You have activated SSH access.
  • You have installed FileZilla.
  • Start FileZilla.
  • Enter the IP address of the server in the Server field.
  • Enter the user name root in the User field.
  • In the Password field, enter the password that you have set.
  • Enter port 22 in the Port field.
  • Click on Connect.

    The connection to the server is established. The directories located on your client are displayed in the area on the left. The directories located on your server are displayed in the area on the right.
  • Create a directory on your local computer.
  • Select the desired files and directories on your server and then copy them to the desired directory on your local computer using drag & drop.

Copy data to another computer or server using Secure Copy

As an alternative to backing up data with Filezilla, you can use Secure Copy to copy data to another computer or server. Secure Copy is a protocol for the encrypted transfer of data that is based on Secure Shell. To transfer the data, customise the command below and then enter it:

root@grml ~ # sudo scp -r /PATH USERNAME@IP-ADRESS:/PFAD


In the following example, the files that are mounted in the /mnt directory are sent to the server with the IP address 82.165.69.130 and saved in the /opt/backup directory:

root@grml ~ # sudo scp -r /mnt root@82.165.69.130:/opt/backup

Unmounting the file systems

Before you boot the server back into normal mode, you must unmount the mounted partitions. To do this, use the unmount command.

Caution

If you restart the server with mounted file systems, data loss may occur under certain circumstances.

To mount the root partition, enter the following command:

root@grml ~ # sudo umount /dev/MY_ROOT_PARTITION /mnt


Replace the placeholder MY_ROOT_PARTITION with the name of the root partition of your VPS. Example:

root@grml ~ # sudo umount /dev/vda1 /mnt

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