Move gitlab repository to new server

Server environment

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$ cat /etc/issue
Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS

It was using gitlab-rake to backup and restore the gitlab repository in this tutorial

First of all, you must check the gitlab version in old server!!

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$ cat /opt/gitlab/embedded/service/gitlab-rails/VERSION
8.7.0

The old gitlab server version is 8.7.0.

So the new machine gitlab version must be 8.7.0, because the data backup by gitlab tool named ‘gitlab-rake’ which can only be recovery in same version.
It was worked for me as well.

Install dependant library and tools in new machine

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$ sudo apt-get install -y curl openssh-server ca-certificates postfix

Install gitlab-ce in new machine

In china, it may be slowly to download, so you can use another apt resource image. Of course you can pass this step with a fast network.

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$ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/gitlab-ce/debian jessie main' >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gitlab-ce.list"

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$ sudo apt-get update

then search gitlab 8.7.0 version

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$ sudo apt-cache policy gitlab-ce | grep 8.7.0
  Installed: 8.7.0-ce.0
 *** 8.7.0-ce.0 0

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$ sudo apt-get install gitlab-ce=8.7.0-ce.0

Backup gitlab repository as a tar package in old server

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$ gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create RAILS_ENV=production

In general, backup files are usually stored in directory ‘/var/opt/gitlab/backups’, check the tar file named ‘1490248589_gitlab_backup.tar’. The number 1490248589 was timestamp.
Distinguish different backup version.

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$ scp /var/opt/gitlab/backups/1490248589_gitlab_backup.tar username@new-server:/var/opt/gitlab/backups/

Copy the gitlab repository backup file to new server

Restore repositofy in new server

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$ gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:restore RAILS_ENV=production   BACKUP=1490248589

If something went wrong

• /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6: version `CXXABI_1.3.8’ not found (required by …

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$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-toolchain-r/test 
$ sudo apt-get update 
$ sudo apt-get install g++-4.9

Or you can install by apt-fast when apt install g++ as a snails

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$ sudo apt-fast install gcc-4.9 g++-4.9

• Repositories backup successfully but getting a 500 page after click the project name in the web view, and gitlab error log shows that

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$ gitlab-ctl tail

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gitlab ErrorPage: serving predefined error page: 500

It caused by the gitlab security file ‘/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json’, you should copy this file in old server to new server at this time