SLV Migrate Linux - Quickstart | SLV - The Toolkit for Solana Devs

🚚 SLV Migrate Linux

Migrate your entire Linux disk to a new server over SSH using rsync. This is a full-disk migration — everything from the source server is copied to the destination, including user data, configurations, installed packages, and SLV node setup.

Note: This is different from slv v switch (validator identity migration). slv migrate linux copies the entire filesystem, while slv v switch swaps validator identity between two already-running nodes.

Prerequisites

SLV CLI installed on the source node
sudo / root access on both source and destination
SSH access from source to destination (password or key-based)
Destination server should be a fresh install (SLV will warn if it detects existing data)

Basic Usage

Run on the source server:

bash

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip

text

🚚 SLV Linux Migration

  Source:      ubuntu (this machine)
  Destination: [email protected]

📋 Exclude list:
  • /dev/*
  • /proc/*
  • /sys/*
  • /tmp/*
  • /run/*
  • /mnt/*
  • /media/*
  • /lost+found
  • /swapfile
  • /snap/*
  • /var/log/*

? Start migration? This will overwrite data on the destination. › Yes
  Syncing... (this may take a while depending on disk size)
√ Migration complete
  Rebooting destination...

🚚 SLV Linux Migration

  Source:      ubuntu (this machine)
  Destination: [email protected]

📋 Exclude list:
  • /dev/*
  • /proc/*
  • /sys/*
  • /tmp/*
  • /run/*
  • /mnt/*
  • /media/*
  • /lost+found
  • /swapfile
  • /snap/*
  • /var/log/*

? Start migration? This will overwrite data on the destination. › Yes
  Syncing... (this may take a while depending on disk size)
√ Migration complete
  Rebooting destination...

Options

Option	Description
`-t, --to <ssh>`	SSH destination (e.g. `root@new-server`)
`-p, --port <port>`	SSH port (default: 22)
`--skip-reboot`	Skip automatic reboot after migration
`--exclude <path>`	Additional rsync exclude pattern (repeatable)
`--include <path>`	Remove from default excludes (repeatable)
`--list-excludes`	Show current exclude list and exit
`-y, --yes`	Skip confirmation prompt

Custom SSH Port

If the destination uses a non-standard SSH port:

bash

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --port 2222

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --port 2222

Customize Excludes

View what will be excluded:

bash

slv migrate linux --list-excludes

slv migrate linux --list-excludes

Exclude additional paths (e.g., skip ledger data for faster migration):

bash

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --exclude /home/solv/ledger

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --exclude /home/solv/ledger

Non-Interactive Mode

For scripting:

bash

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --skip-reboot --yes

sudo slv migrate linux --to root@new-server-ip --skip-reboot --yes

How It Works

Pre-flight checks — Verifies SSH connectivity, warns if destination has existing data
rsync — Copies entire filesystem (excluding system pseudo-filesystems) over SSH
Post-migration — Automatically reboots the destination server (unless --skip-reboot)

The migration uses rsync with --archive --hard-links --acls --xattrs to preserve all file attributes, permissions, and special files.

⚠️ Important Notes

Run as root (or with sudo). Non-root migration will miss system files.
The destination should be a fresh server. Existing data will be overwritten.
rsync exit codes 23/24 (partial transfer) are treated as warnings, not errors. Some files (like active logs) may not transfer perfectly.
After migration, verify the node is working correctly before decommissioning the source.
For validator identity migration (zero-downtime swap between two running validators), use slv v switch instead. See Mainnet Validator Migration.