Move cPFence to a new server

Use root on both Enhance servers and keep a private copy of your settings archive. For an in-place v3 upgrade, use Migrate from v3 instead.

Move your settings

1. On the old server, create a backup:

   cpfence --backup-cpf-settings

2. Use your secure file-transfer client to copy the reported /var/cpf_backups/cpfence_backup_*.tar.gz archive into /var/cpf_backups/ on the new server.

3. When ready to retire the old installation, uninstall cPFence there. Protection stops on that server.

4. Arrange the new server’s license coverage: Reissue an individual per-server license, sync a per-website license, or ask support to update a bulk license. Then install cPFence on the destination with its key.

5. Restore the copied archive by its exact filename:

   cpfence --restore-cpf-settings cpfence_backup_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.tar.gz

   Replace the placeholder with your filename. Check cpfence --status, the restored settings, and website health.

Portable settings preserve the new server’s identity

Ordinary restore on another server keeps the destination license and account security. It filters server/site-bound settings and does not transfer the old identity, history, or quarantine. Do not use --full to move to another machine.

Restore applies supported activation settings and verifies runtime, so a separate restart is not normally needed. Keep the original archive until the new setup is checked. For a restore error, follow settings recovery.