Migration from Bare Metal FOG

This guide covers migrating from a bare metal FOG installation to FOG Docker.

Overview

Migrating from bare metal FOG to FOG Docker involves:

  1. Exporting your existing FOG database
  2. Configuring FOG Docker with migration settings
  3. Importing the database automatically
  4. Verifying the migration

Prerequisites

  • Existing bare metal FOG installation
  • Access to the FOG database
  • FOG Docker environment set up
  • Sufficient disk space for database export

Migration Process

Step 1: Export Database from Bare Metal FOG

On your existing bare metal FOG server:

# Create a complete database dump
mysqldump --single-transaction --routines --triggers --databases fog > FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql

# Verify the dump file was created
ls -la FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql

# Check the dump file size (should be several MB)
du -h FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql

Important: The dump file must be named exactly FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql for automatic detection.

Step 2: Transfer Database Dump

Copy the database dump to your Docker host:

# Using SCP
scp FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql user@docker-host:/path/to/fog-docker/

# Using rsync
rsync -avz FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql user@docker-host:/path/to/fog-docker/

# Using USB drive or other method
# Copy FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql to your Docker host

Step 3: Configure FOG Docker for Migration

  1. Enable migration in your .env file: 
    # Enable database migration
FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED=true
   
# Optional: Force migration over existing data
# FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE=true
  2. Mount the dump file in docker-compose.yml: 
    services:
  fog-server:
    environment:
      - FOG_WEB_HOST=${FOG_WEB_HOST}
      - FOG_HTTP_PROTOCOL=${FOG_HTTP_PROTOCOL}
      - FOG_INTERNAL_HTTPS_ENABLED=${FOG_INTERNAL_HTTPS_ENABLED}
      - FOG_APACHE_EXPOSED_PORT=${FOG_APACHE_EXPOSED_PORT}
      - FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED=${FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED}
      - FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE=${FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE}
    ports:
      - "${FOG_APACHE_EXPOSED_PORT:-8080}:80"
    volumes:
      - ./FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql:/opt/migration/FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql:ro
      # ... other volumes

    Required .env variables:

    FOG_WEB_HOST=fog.example.com
FOG_HTTP_PROTOCOL=https
FOG_INTERNAL_HTTPS_ENABLED=false
FOG_APACHE_EXPOSED_PORT=8080
FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED=true
FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE=false

Step 4: Start FOG Docker 

# Start the containers
docker compose up -d

# Monitor the migration process
docker compose logs -f fog-server

The container will automatically:

  1. Detect the migration dump file
  2. Import the database
  3. Remove the dump file after successful import
  4. Continue with normal FOG setup

Migration Safety Features

Automatic Safety Checks

  • Migration is disabled by default (FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED=false)
  • Existing database protection: If FOG database already exists, migration is skipped
  • Force migration option: Use FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE=true to override safety checks
  • Automatic cleanup: Dump file is removed after successful import

Migration Environment Variables

Variable Description Default Required
FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED Enable database migration false Yes
FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE Force migration over existing data false No

Additional Configuration Variables

Variable Description Example Default
FOG_WEB_HOST New FOG server hostname/IP 192.168.1.100 Required
FOG_STORAGE_HOST Storage node hostname/IP 192.168.1.100 FOG_WEB_HOST
FOG_TFTP_HOST TFTP server hostname/IP 192.168.1.100 FOG_WEB_HOST
FOG_WOL_HOST Wake-on-LAN server hostname/IP 192.168.1.100 FOG_WEB_HOST
FOG_HTTP_PROTOCOL Protocol (http/https) https http

Post-Migration Steps

1. Verify Database Import 

# Check if migration was successful
docker exec fog-server mysql -u root -p$FOG_DB_ROOT_PASSWORD -e "USE fog; SHOW TABLES;"

# Check for your existing hosts
docker exec fog-server mysql -u root -p$FOG_DB_ROOT_PASSWORD -e "USE fog; SELECT hostname, mac FROM hosts LIMIT 10;"

2. Update Network Configuration

Update your FOG Docker configuration to match your network:

# Update .env file with your network settings
FOG_WEB_HOST=your-new-fog-server-ip
FOG_STORAGE_HOST=your-new-fog-server-ip
FOG_TFTP_HOST=your-new-fog-server-ip
FOG_WOL_HOST=your-new-fog-server-ip

3. Update DHCP Configuration

Update your DHCP server to point to the new FOG Docker server:

DHCP Option 66 (Next Server): your-new-fog-server-ip DHCP Option 67 (Boot File):

  • BIOS: undionly.kpxe
  • UEFI: ipxe.efi

4. Test Client Connectivity

  1. Test web interface: http://your-new-fog-server-ip/fog
  2. Test PXE boot: Boot a client machine
  3. Test image operations: Capture or deploy an image

5. Update Client Registrations

If your FOG server IP changed, you may need to:

  1. Re-register existing clients via PXE boot
  2. Update client configurations if they have hardcoded IPs
  3. Verify client communication with the new server

Troubleshooting Migration

Common Issues

Migration Not Starting

Symptoms: Container starts but no migration occurs Solutions:

  1. Check migration is enabled: 
    grep FOG_DB_MIGRATION_ENABLED .env
  2. Verify dump file is mounted: 
    docker exec fog-server ls -la /opt/migration/
  3. Check file permissions: 
    ls -la FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql

Database Already Exists Error

Symptoms: Migration skipped due to existing database Solutions:

  1. Use force migration: 
    FOG_DB_MIGRATION_FORCE=true
  2. Or remove existing database: 
    docker compose down
docker volume rm fog-docker_fog-db-data
docker compose up -d

Import Errors

Symptoms: Database import fails with errors Solutions:

  1. Check dump file integrity: 
    head -20 FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql
tail -20 FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql
  2. Verify MySQL compatibility: 
    # Check FOG version compatibility
grep "FOG" FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql | head -5
  3. Check container logs: 
    docker compose logs fog-server | grep -i error

Debug Commands 

# Check migration status
docker exec fog-server ls -la /opt/migration/

# Check database contents
docker exec fog-server mysql -u root -p$FOG_DB_ROOT_PASSWORD -e "USE fog; SHOW TABLES;"

# Check FOG configuration
docker exec fog-server cat /opt/fog/config/fog.config

# Check container logs
docker compose logs fog-server

Migration Best Practices

Before Migration

  1. Backup your existing FOG server completely
  2. Document your current FOG configuration
  3. Test FOG Docker in a lab environment first
  4. Plan for network changes (IP addresses, DNS, etc.)

During Migration

  1. Use a maintenance window for the migration
  2. Monitor the migration process closely
  3. Keep the original FOG server running until migration is verified
  4. Test all functionality before decommissioning the old server

After Migration

  1. Verify all hosts are accessible in the new system
  2. Test image capture and deployment
  3. Update documentation with new server details
  4. Monitor system performance for any issues

Rollback Plan

If migration fails or issues arise:

  1. Stop FOG Docker: 
    docker compose down

  2. Restore original FOG server from backup

  3. Update DHCP to point back to original server

  4. Investigate and fix issues before retrying migration

Advanced Migration Scenarios

Large Database Migration

For large FOG installations:

# Compress the dump file
gzip FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql

# Update docker-compose.yml to mount compressed file
volumes:
  - ./FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql.gz:/opt/migration/FOG_MIGRATION_DUMP.sql.gz:ro

Multi-Server FOG Migration

If migrating from a distributed FOG setup:

  1. Export from master server only
  2. Update storage node configurations in FOG Docker
  3. Migrate image files separately if needed
  4. Update client configurations for new server locations

Next Steps

After successful migration:

  1. Configuration Guide - Optimize FOG Docker configuration
  2. Network Boot Setup - Verify PXE and HTTPBoot configuration
  3. Troubleshooting Guide - Address any post-migration issues