Schedule for Transitioning Servers

LaNeta runs 5 servers in Canada (mx1, mx3, mx23, mx24, mx25). All are running Debian, all are running a 686 kernel. 90% of LaNeta users are on mx1, mx3 is dedicated to mailman-lists, and remaining servers providing services dedicated to single members.

mx1 is running Debian Etch, mx23 is running Debian Lenny. The remaining servers are running Debian Squeeze.

The first goal is to move all resources to MFPL so we can stop payment on the Canadian servers.

Note: about the deadline for this process, we should consider different days for each server because the billing cycle is different for each one of them:

• mx24 2011-12-04 mmsc - dedicated server
• mx3 2011-12-09 laneta - mailman server
• mx23 2011-12-25 rosalux - dedicated half server
• mx1 2012-01-07 laneta - main server - will be renewed for one month more. Ends on 2012-02-07
• mx25 2012-05-15 cimac - dedicated server

Timeline

Transfer to MFPL hardware

Enrique is contracted by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Mexico to transfer mx23, that process has begun (virtual server on MFPL has been allocated)

• November 15: new MFPL hardware is installed, 686-based virtual servers are installed for m24, mx3, and mx1
• November 22: rsync script for transferring all data from mx24 is completed and has run, testing begins
  • enrique clears out his home directory on mx24.laneta.apc.org
  • jamie re-runs copy script
  • enrique adjusts the time to live for loscinco.org, rosalux.org.mx, mmsc.org.mx, laneta.apc.org (mx24.laneta.apc.org and listas.mmsc.laneta.apc.org are defined there with dozens of other subdomains). It currently is 86400 seconds (one day). Should be adjusted as low as possible (5 minutes if possible). RE: Done. The soa fields remain with 28800(refresh), 14400(retry), 3600000(expire), 86400(minimum) in most of cases, hope that's ok.
    • enrique runs: aptitude update; aptitude full-upgrade to bring all packages up to date on mx24.laneta.apc.org RE: Done. everything seams to be ok.
  • On the day of the move, we run the copy script first. That will shutdown all services on mx24.laneta.apc.org and copy any changed data. Then, we change the IP address configured via DNS. Then debug.
• November 29: mx24 goes live on MFPL server, rsync script is prepared and run for mx3, testing begins
• December 6: mx3 goes live on MFPL server
• December 23: mx23 was transfered to clara.mayfirst.org with jamie's intervention and went live today.
• mx1 re-scheduled for the second week of January.
  • January 10: mx1 is upgraded from etch to squeeze, two weeks of support allocated for dealing with problems: DONE
  • February 9: rsync script for mx1 is prepared and run, testing begins
  • February 12: pick date to execute transition
    • February 12: lower time to live for all domain names hosted on mx1
    • February ?: Phase 1 transfer: all services except bind will be transferred
      • Shutdown all services on mx1.iweb except bind (dns resolution).
      • run final rsync of filesystem to mx1.mayfirst
      • reboot mx1.mayfirst
      • test to ensure sites are working
      • change DNS entries to point to mx1.mayfirst (DNS is still running on mx1.iweb)
      • All DNS changes are still made on iweb
    • Ferbuary ?: Phase 2 transfer
      • Rsync /etc/bind/ files from mx1.iweb to mx1.mayfirst
      • Change authoritative DNS IP address for ns1.laneta.org to point to mx1.mayfirst
      • Over the next three - five days, changes to DNS must be made on both mx1.mayfirst and mx1.iweb
      • Once the transition is complete, mx1.iweb can be retired
• mx25 re-scheduled after mx1 pending works
  • ?: mx25 is allocated on MFPL server
  • ?: mx25 rsync script is prepared and run
  • ?: mx25 is live on MFPL servers

Transfer to MFPL system/control panel

To be completed in 2012

• First step: Create translation framework for red/control panel
• Translate red/control panel into Spanish
• Transfer sites either in bulk or one-by-one. They will be transferred to other virtual servers so eventually the sites are shut down.

Localizing support.mayfirst.org

• The trac interface has ​localization infrastructure starting with version .12. 0.12 is ​available in squeeze backports, which we upgraded to recently. There also seems to be progress in creating a ​translation file for es_ES.
• In addition, there is a plugin to assist with translating wiki pages called ​TranslatedPagesMacro.