Migration guide for Plesk for Windows and StackRegent servers

How a StackRegent migration works#

The Migration & Transfer Manager under Tools & Settings runs on the new server. It connects to the old server over HTTPS with an API key, reads the list of subscriptions there and checks each one against the new server. When you start, the old server backs up one subscription, the new server downloads and restores it, and the next subscription is already being backed up while the current one is restored. Transfers can resume after an interruption.

The old server is only read. Nothing is changed or removed there, so your customers keep being served from it until you switch DNS.

What moves#

• Customers, resellers and service plans (optionally all of them, even those without selected subscriptions)
• Domains, subdomains and aliases with their hosting, PHP and ASP.NET settings
• Website files
• MySQL/MariaDB and SQL Server databases, with their users
• Mail accounts with their messages
• FTP accounts and scheduled tasks

Customers keep their passwords. From Plesk, the migration agent reads the passwords Plesk stored encrypted, so mailboxes, FTP accounts and database users keep theirs too.

What to redo after the move#

SSL/TLS certificates are not part of the list above. Once DNS points at the new server, Let's Encrypt certificates are issued again; plans with Keep websites secured with free SSL/TLS certificates do this by themselves. Bought certificates are uploaded again under each website's SSL/TLS Certificates tool. Settings of the old server itself (firewall, mail server, DNS template) are not copied; set them on the new server first.

Before you start#

1. Install StackRegent on the new server and work through getting started. Install the components the old sites need: the PHP versions they run (missing versions are flagged), SQL Server Express if they use SQL Server, the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle versions and Node.js if needed.
2. Have a license on the new server. A restricted panel cannot create subscriptions, so the new server needs an active license during the move. When moving from another StackRegent server, keep the old one licensed until the move is finished as well: while restricted, a panel's API answers only its license pages, which stops the migration. Move a license to a new server explains the order of steps.
3. Lower DNS TTLs on the domains a day or two before the switch, so the change takes effect quickly.
4. Check the space. The checks warn when the subscriptions need more space than the websites drive has free.

Migrating from Plesk for Windows#

Neither of the two ways to connect changes anything in Plesk:

• Migration agent. Copy stackregent.exe from the bin folder of the StackRegent package to the Plesk server and run stackregent.exe migration-agent --allow NEW-SERVER-IP in an administrator command prompt. It prints the address (port 9445 by default) and an API key. Keep the window open during the migration.
• StackRegent Migrator extension. Install it in Plesk, enter the new server's IP address and the port, and click Start. It shows the address and API key, and Stop the agent ends it.

The agent uses a self-signed certificate and prints its SHA-256 fingerprint, so you can compare it when you connect.

If the two servers cannot reach each other, use a Plesk backup instead: back up in Plesk's Backup Manager with everything selected, then use Add a Plesk Backup in the Migration & Transfer Manager. Backups from Plesk for Windows (.xml.zip) and Plesk for Linux (.tar) are accepted. Set a backup password in Plesk if you want the passwords included in a readable form; accounts whose passwords cannot be read get new ones, and the restore task lists them.

Migrating between StackRegent servers#

On the old StackRegent server, go to Tools & Settings › Remote API (REST), click Create key, enter the new server's address under Allowed from and copy the key. It is shown once. This is the usual path for moving to a newer Windows Server release, for example from Windows Server 2016 before its support ends, or to bigger hardware.

For a single site, or a few, there is a lighter way: back up the subscription with a backup password, then Transfer creates a one-time link the new server can download it from, or download and upload it by hand. A password-protected backup can be restored on another server; one without a password can only be restored where it was made.

The migration, step by step#

Step 1: Connect to the old server#

In Tools & Settings › Migration & Transfer Manager, click Connect to a Server, enter the old server's address and the API key, and tick Accept an untrusted certificate if the old panel or the Plesk agent uses a self-signed one.

Step 2: Review the checks#

The page lists each subscription with its customer, plan, size, what it uses (PHP versions, ASP.NET, databases, mailboxes) and the result of the checks. Errors, such as a domain that already exists here or databases without a matching database server, must be fixed before that subscription can be selected. Warnings, such as a PHP version not installed here, can be fixed or accepted.

Step 3: Migrate a test subscription first#

Pick one small subscription, click Migrate, choose Website files, Databases and Mail messages, and Start. Each subscription goes through Waiting, Backing up, Copying and Restoring and ends as Moved or Failed. Check the result with a hosts-file entry or Website Preview before moving on.

Step 4: Migrate the rest#

Select the remaining subscriptions and start again. A failed subscription shows its message; fix the cause, use Select failed and migrate it again.

Step 5: Re-sync and switch DNS#

Shortly before the switch, use Select moved and migrate those subscriptions again. This copies the latest files, databases and mail. Then change the DNS records or name servers to the new server. When everything has moved, click Disconnect: the new server forgets the old one and its API key.

The migration chapter of the administrator guide describes every screen and message, and the backups chapter covers Plesk backup files and export.

Getting help with a migration#

If you plan a large move, or want help before you start, use the migration contact form. The migration page on stackregent.com explains the approach for decision makers.

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