Restart a VPS Cloud / VPS Lite (including safe mode)

This guide explains how to restart an Infomaniak VPS Cloud / VPS Lite and what you can do if you no longer have access to the server.

Rebooting VPS Cloud / VPS Lite

The classic mode allows you to restart your server normally. To access the VPS Cloud / VPS Lite:

Click here to access your product management in the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
Click on the Manage button.
Click on Restart (classic mode):

Enable/Disable Safe Mode

If you have lost your SSH key, made a configuration error, etc.

You have the option to restart in rescue mode. This means restarting on a base image from which you can mount your cloud partitions. This way, you can modify/repair your configuration.

Warning: Depending on the installed operating system, the system volume may be named /dev/sda, /dev/sda1, or /dev/vda; the same goes for the data volume /dev/sdb, /dev/sdb2, or /dev/vdb! You should replace these indications with those corresponding to your situation.

To enable rescue mode:

Click here to access your product management in the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
Click on the Manage button.
Click on Restart (safe mode):

Warning: Your data disk is not accessible when your VPS Cloud / VPS Lite is in safe mode. Only the system disk is accessible.

Performing Operations

Once safe mode is active, access your Cloud via SSH, either with your SSH key or with the temporary password available in the interface.

Once connected, run:

sudo -i

Then list the available partitions (replace ov-abcd with your hostname):

[root@ov-abcd ~]# lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
vda 253:0 0 8G 0 disk
└─vda1 253:1 0 8G 0 part /
vdb 253:16 0 20G 0 disk
└─vdb1 253:17 0 20G 0 part

vdb corresponds to your cloud disk.

To access it in write mode, you need to mount it:

[root@ov-abcd ~]# mount /dev/vdb1 /mnt/

You can then modify the files:

[root@ov-abcd ~]# ls /mnt/
bin boot dev etc home initrd.img initrd.img.old lib lib64 lost+found media mnt opt proc root run sbin srv sys tmp usr var vmlinuz vmlinuz.old

Depending on your cloud’s operating system, you can also use chroot to replicate your usual environment:

[root@ov-abcd ~]# chroot /mnt/
bash: ls: command not found
root@ov-abcd:/# export PATH="$PATH:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin"
root@ov-abcd:/# ls
bin boot dev etc home initrd.img initrd.img.old lib lib64 lost+found media mnt opt proc root run sbin srv sys tmp usr var vmlinuz vmlinuz.old

Once the necessary modifications have been made, disable safe mode to restart your cloud on the original disk.

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