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Migration of instances between different regions

Stephanie R.
Updated

Learn how to migrate a Public Cloud instance from one region to another. This guide centralizes the key steps (backup, transfer, and re-creation) and redirects to the detailed guides for each element.

 

Requirements

 

Instructions

Step 1. Backup your instance

Start by creating a backup of your instance to be migrated, or use an existing one if it's still valid.

OVHcloud offers two types of backup, with different behaviors depending on the type of migration desired:

  • Local backup: Requires manual transfer if you're migrating to another region or AZ.
  • Remote backup (recommended): Automatically managed by OVHcloud, the local backup is replicated in the selected region. No manual transfer required.

An instance can be backed up:

  • via the OVHcloud Control Panel
  • via the OVHcloud API
  • via the OpenStack CLI
  • via Horizon

Find all the detailed information in the Creating a backup of an instance section in our Backing up an instance guide.

 

Step 2. Migrate your backup to another region

You can only restore an instance to the region in which a backup resides.

If you used a remote backup, you can go straight to Step 3. Restore the instance in new region.

Via the OpenStack CLI

To transfer your backup from one AZ to another via the OpenStack CLI, please follow our guide: Downloading and transferring an instance backup from one OpenStack region to another.

 

Via the OVHcloud API

NOTE: The following series of API calls will:

  • Create a duplicate version of an instance backup in an alternate region.
  • Create a new instance using the duplicated instance backup.

If you use this set of API calls, there is no need to follow the instructions in Step 3 of this guide.

From the OVHcloud API console:

  1. Get your project ID

    GET /cloud/project

  2. Get your snapshot's imageId

    GET /cloud/project/{serviceName}/snapshot

  3. Choose a flavor for your new instance. Get the flavorId

    GET /cloud/project/{serviceName}/flavor

  4. Create your new instance

    POST /cloud/project/{serviceName}/region/{regionName}/instance
    • Add your imageId retrieved with API call #2.
    • Add the imageRegionName line (the region in which your remote backup resides).
    • Add the flavorId chosen using API call #3.
    • Choose a name for your instance.
    • Add the name of your SSH key.
    {
  "billingPeriod": "hourly",
  "bootFrom": {
    "imageId": "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "imageRegionName": "US-WEST-OR-1"
  },
  "flavor": {
    "id": "dc47c3a9-82b9-460f-80b4-475b5a550e9a"
  },
  "name": "from-remote",
  "network": {
    "public": true
  },
  "sshKey": {
    "name": "my_key"
  }
}

 

Step 3. Restore the instance in new region

The instance can be restored in the new region:

  • via the OVHcloud Control Panel
  • via the OVHcloud API
  • via the OpenStack CLI
  • via Horizon

Find all the detailed information in the Creating an instance from a backup section in our Using instance backups to create or restore an instance guide.

 

Go further

For more information and tutorials, please see our other Public Cloud support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.

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