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  1. TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 (Archived)
  2. /
  3. Getting Started
  4. /
  5. CORE to SCALE Migrations
  6. /
  7. Migrating TrueNAS CORE to SCALE
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TrueNAS SCALETrueNAS Documentation Archive
This content follows the TrueNAS 23.10 (Cobia) releases. Archival documentation is provided for reference only and not actively maintained. Use the Product and Version selectors above to view content specific to different TrueNAS software or major version.

Migrating TrueNAS CORE to SCALE

  6 minute read.

Last Modified 2024-07-18 09:08 EDT

Migration Overview

This article provides information and instructions for migrating non-Enterprise TrueNAS CORE to SCALE.

TrueNAS Enterprise

TrueNAS Enterprise customers should consult with iXsystems Support before attempting migrate to TrueNAS SCALE.

The process requires an extended maintenance window, requires executing steps in the correct order to prevent issues with system configuration and operation, and additional system review post-migration to catch and correct any configuration issues.

Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.

iXsystems Customer Support
Support Portalhttps://support.ixsystems.com
Emailsupport@ixsystems.com
Telephone and Other Resourceshttps://www.ixsystems.com/support/

Migration Preparation

Review the Migration Preparation article for detailed recommendations and preparation steps before attempting to migrate from CORE to SCALE.

Depending on system configuration, migrating from CORE to SCALE can be more or less complicated.

Root is the system administration account for CORE and the Angelfish and early Bluefin releases of SCALE. Users migrating from CORE to SCALE or from the pre 22.12.3 release of SCALE Bluefin must manually create an admin user account. Only fresh installations using an iso file provide the option to create the admin user during the installation process.

SCALE Bluefin systems with only the root user account can log in to the TrueNAS web interface as the root user and then create the admin account. After logging in as root, TrueNAS alerts you to create the local administrator account.

As part of security hardening and to comply with Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS), iXsystems plans to completely disable root login in a future release.

System administrators should create and begin using a new admin user.

Migration Methods

TrueNAS Enterprise

High Availability (HA) systems cannot migrate directly from CORE to SCALE.

Enterprise customers with HA systems should contact iXsystems Support before attempting any migration.

Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.

iXsystems Customer Support
Support Portalhttps://support.ixsystems.com
Emailsupport@ixsystems.com
Telephone and Other Resourceshttps://www.ixsystems.com/support/

Migrating TrueNAS from CORE to SCALE is a one-way operation. Attempting to activate or roll back to a CORE boot environment can break the system.

Upgrade your CORE system to the latest publicly-available 13.0-Ux release before attempting to migrate from CORE to SCALE.

Clean Install

You can migrate from CORE to SCALE with a clean install using an iso file. With a clean SCALE install, you need to reconfigure your CORE settings in SCALE and import your data. Follow the instructions in the Install articles.

When TrueNAS SCALE boots, you might need to use the Shell to configure networking interfaces to enable GUI accessibility. After logging in to the TrueNAS SCALE UI, use a system configuration file to restore the system settings to the SCALE installation and import the data storage pools.

Manual Update

Some CORE 13.0 releases can migrate using the CORE UI Upgrade function using a SCALE update file downloaded from the website. To use this method, you must upgrade to the latest maintenance release.

Earlier releases of CORE must upgrade to 13.0 and then the latest maintenance release U6.1 to use this method. If this process fails, retry using the iso file method above.

  1. Confirm that the TrueNAS CORE system is on the latest public release, 13.0-U6.1 or newer.

  2. Download the SCALE manual update file.

  3. Click CHECK FOR UPDATES in the System Information card on the Dashboard or go to System > Update.

  4. Click INSTALL MANUAL UPDATE FILE.

    SCALEManualSidegrade

  5. Click SAVE CONFIGURATION to download a backup file that can restore the system configuration in the event something goes wrong with the migration.

    SCALEConfigSidegrade

  6. Select a Temporary Storage Location (either Memory Device or a Pool) for the manual update file. Click Choose File and select the TrueNAS-SCALE.update file you downloaded.

    SCALEFileSidegrade

    Then click APPLY UPDATE.

  7. After the update completes, reboot the system if it does not reboot automatically.

    SCALESidegradeReboot

After TrueNAS SCALE reboots, sign in with the root user credentials used in CORE. Uploading the CORE config file deletes the admin user account created during a clean install and therefore requires you to recreate it.

After gaining access to the UI, you might need to use the Shell to configure the primary networking interfaces to enable GUI accessibility.

After booting and gaining access to the UI, go to System Settings > General and upload the system config file. This migrates your CORE settings, imports your pools, shares, etc. into SCALE.

After uploading the config file, review each area of the UI previously configured in CORE to validate pools imported and settings migrated correctly. Begin with your network settings.

Use the information gathered during your preparation to migrate to restore settings, tasks, VMs, credentials, etc. not present in SCALE after uploading the config file.

Recreating the Admin User Account

Root is the system administration account for CORE and the Angelfish and early Bluefin releases of SCALE. Users migrating from CORE to SCALE or from the pre 22.12.3 release of SCALE Bluefin must manually create an admin user account. Only fresh installations using an iso file provide the option to create the admin user during the installation process.

SCALE Bluefin systems with only the root user account can log in to the TrueNAS web interface as the root user and then create the admin account. After logging in as root, TrueNAS alerts you to create the local administrator account.

As part of security hardening and to comply with Federal Information Processing standards (FIPS), iXsystems plans to completely disable root login in a future release.

System administrators should create and begin using a new admin user.

Related Content

Related Installation Articles

Have more questions or want to discuss your specific configuration? For further discussion or assistance, see these resources:

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