SkyPress
SkyPress Playbook
VPS Migration Runbook
The runbook I follow step by step every time I move a server: 38 checkpoints across 8 zones, from auditing the old box to watching the new one serve traffic through a full night. Downtime in single-digit minutes.
PDF you keep forever · Free updates for life · 7-day refund · Updated October 4, 2026 — v1
Table of contents
Every checkpoint, in order.
Zone 1: Know the Old Box
- Full audit — what's running, disk, memory
- Cron jobs hiding in all four places
- SSL certificate inventory
- The queue workers and background jobs everyone forgets
Zone 2: Prep the New Box
- OS, users, SSH keys
- Firewall before anything touches the network
Zone 3: Files via rsync
- The exact flags
- The permission gotcha that stops most people
- Dry-run first, always
Zone 4: Databases
- MySQL dump and restore, documented
- Postgres dump and restore
- Verification steps
- The MyISAM edge case most guides skip
Zone 5: Configs & SSL
- Web server configs
- PHP configuration
- Systemd units
- Certs that work before cutover
Zone 6: Test Before You Switch
- The hosts-file trick
- Full smoke test on the new box while the old one still serves
Zone 7: The Cutover
- DNS TTL prep — do this days ahead
- The final sync
- Flip order that minimizes downtime to minutes
Zone 8: Verify & Rollback
- 24-hour watch checklist
- The rollback plan you write before you need it
One question
Frequently asked.
How much downtime should I expect?
Single-digit minutes if you follow the cutover order in Zone 7. The key is DNS TTL prep days ahead, a final sync, and testing everything on the new box before you flip. The runbook walks through each step.