Guides - Cloning a Compute Instance

Linode’s cloning feature allows you to duplicate a Compute Instance’s disks (and configuration profiles) to a new or existing instance.

Clone to a New Compute Instance

This process copies all disks and configuration profiles to a newly created Compute Instance on your account.

1. Log in to the Cloud Manager.

2. Click the Create dropdown menu on the top left and select Linode.

3. In the Create New Linode form, navigate to the Clone Linode tab.

4. Under Select Linode to Clone From, search for and select the instance you wish to clone. If the selected instance is running, Power Off appears to the right.

5. To help prevent data corruption during cloning, click Power Off.

   Note

   If you’re using a mobile device, available instances appear as cards without the Power Off option. To power off an instance from a mobile device, go to the instance’s details page.

6. Complete the remainder of the form. Enter a label and select the region, the plan, and other options for the new Compute Instance.

   Note

   • The plan’s storage must be greater than the combined disk size of the original instance. If you wish to select a plan with less storage, you may need to resize your disks before cloning.

   • If the target Compute Instance is in a placement group, the clone isn’t automatically included in the same placement group. You need to specify a placement group to include it in. The target placement group needs to have capacity to include a cloned Compute Instance and it needs to be in the same data center as the clone.

7. Click the Create Linode button to start the cloning process. Cloning a Compute Instance can be much longer than creating a new instance based on a distribution image or custom image. The length of time depends on the size of the disks, among other factors. To keep track of the cloning progress, a status bar is displayed above the original Compute Instance with the percentage of completion.

8. Once the cloning process is complete, you need to power on the new Compute Instance to begin using it.

Clone to an Existing Compute Instance

This process allows you to select specific disks or configuration profiles and duplicate them to an existing Compute Instance. When cloning a configuration profile, all disks assigned to that profile are also cloned.

1. Log in to the Cloud Manager and select the Linodes link in the left sidebar menu.

2. Locate the Compute Instance you wish to clone and click its corresponding label, which displays the instance’s detail page.

3. To help prevent data corruption, click the Power Off link in the top right.

4. To clone a disk: Navigate to the Storage tab, locate the disk you wish to clone within the Disks table, click the more options ellipsis dropdown menu, and select Clone.

   To clone a configuration profile: Navigate to the Configurations tab, locate the profile you wish to clone within the Config table, click the more options ellipsis dropdown menu, and select Clone.

5. A Clone form appears with either the Disks or Configuration Profiles tab displayed, depending on the previous step. From here, select the exact disks and configuration profiles you wish to clone. When a configuration profile is selected, all disks assigned to it (through Block Device Assignments) are also selected.

6. In the Destination dropdown menu, select the destination Compute Instance.

   Note

   The destination instance must have enough free storage to accommodate the disks that are to be cloned. If there’s not enough free storage space, you’ll need to either resize the disks (either on the original or destination Compute Instance) or upgrade the destination instance to a larger plan.

7. Click the Clone button to start the cloning process. The length of time this takes depends on the size of the Compute Instance’s disks (among other factors). To keep track of the cloning progress, a status bar is displayed above the original instance with the percentage of completion.

8. Once the cloning process is complete, you may need to make changes to the destination Compute Instance in order to begin using the disks. This involves either booting the instance using the cloned configuration profile or adjusting the existing configuration profile to assign the cloned disks. See Configuration Profiles