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Boot the server in recovery and diagnostic mode

Boot the server in recovery and diagnostic mode

If the server does not boot or is not available for network connectivity, boot it in one of the recovery and diagnostic modes. After booting, you can run diagnostics on the server and correct errors in the OS configuration.

If the server becomes unavailable some time after a reboot, check if hibernation mode is enabled in the OS. Hibernation may be enabled automatically when installing some analytics packages (anaconda, cudatoolkit, nvidiautils, etc.).

For problems with Mac Mini M1 and Raspberry Pi servers , create a ticket.

  1. Select the recovery and diagnostic mode.
  2. Change the server load template.
  3. Connect to the server.
  4. Bring back the old server loading template.

1. Select recovery and diagnostic mode⁠

Recovery and diagnostic modes provide full access to the server file system.

We recommend using recovery and diagnostic mode depending on your tasks and server OS:

WinPE⁠

WinPE is a minimal version of Windows with limited services. It runs in the server's RAM. It is used for diagnostics, recovery and installation of Windows operating systems. See Microsoft's Windows PE documentation for more information.

You can connect to the server in WinPE via VNC or a KVM console.

Rescue⁠

Rescue — recovery mode, loads the operating system in RAM without using local disks of the server. Contains pre-installed diagnostic and recovery tools. You can install additional tools yourself using the pacman package manager.

You can connect to the server in Rescue by SSH or through a KVM console.

The first time you authorize the server, the SSH key is stored in the ~/.ssh/known\_hosts file. If the server has been rebooted, a REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED error may appear during re-authorization . To correct it, delete the host information by IP address:

ssh-keygen -f "/home/<username>/.ssh/known_hosts" -R "<ip_address>"

Specify:

  • <username> — username (login). You can view it in control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → Servers → server page → tab Operating System → field Login;
  • <ip_address> — public IP address of the server. You can view it in control panel: in the top menu, click Products → Dedicated Servers → Servers → server page → tab Operating System → field IP.

Servercore Boot menu⁠

Servercore Boot — menu for system diagnostics and recovery, booting the most common server operating systems. Tools and Utilities section provides diagnostic and recovery tools:

  • GParted — disk creation and partitioning;
  • Clonezilla — create backups. For UEFI servers, use an image mounted via KVM console;
  • Memtest86 — RAM testing.

To use the Servercore Boot menu, connect to the server via a KVM console.

2. Change the server loading template⁠

  1. In the Control Panel, on the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.

  2. In the Servers section, open the Server page → Operating System tab.

  3. Click Change Upload Template.

  4. In the Boot Template field, select boot in one of the recovery and diagnostic modes:

  5. In the New Password field, click . A new password will be generated. It is used only to connect to the server in recovery and diagnostic mode.

  6. Click Save and Restart. The server will restart and all data on it will be saved.

3. Connect to the server⁠

The password for connecting to the server in recovery and diagnostic mode can be viewed in the control panel under Products → **Dedicated Ser **vers → Servers → Server page → Operating System tab . It is generated automatically when the server boot template is changed.

The connection process depends on the selected recovery and diagnostic mode:

  • in all modes — via KVM console. For Chipcore Line servers it is possible to order an additional service IP-KVM Connection for 3 hours;
  • in Rescue — via SSH — to protect servers from attacks, when connecting to a server in Rescue, the number of authorization attempts is limited. If there are 10 unsuccessful connection attempts from one IP address in an hour, this IP address will be blocked for 24 hours. To unblock the IP address earlier — reboot the server;
  • in WinPE over VNC.

4. Return the previous server loading pattern⁠

When the server is rebooted from the OS, the boot template will automatically change to the one that was set before the server boot template was changed.

  1. In the Control Panel, on the top menu, click Products and select Dedicated Servers.
  2. In the Servers section, open the Server page → Operating System tab.
  3. Click Change Upload Template.
  4. In the Upload Template field, select the previous upload template.
  5. Click Save and reboot.