Migrating TrueNAS CORE to SCALE

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.

Contacting iXsystems Support

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.

Contact Method	Contact Options
Web	https://support.ixsystems.com
Email	support@ixsystems.com
Telephone	Monday - Friday, 6:00AM to 6:00PM Pacific Standard Time: US-only toll-free: 1-855-473-7449 option 2 Local and international: 1-408-943-4100 option 2
Telephone	After Hours (24x7 Gold Level Support only): US-only toll-free: 1-855-499-5131 International: 1-408-878-3140 (international calling rates apply)

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.

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.

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.

   

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

   

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.

   

   Then click APPLY UPDATE.

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

   

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.

All CORE systems migrating to SCALE, and all Angelfish and early Bluefin releases of SCALE upgrading to 22.12.3+ or to later SCALE major versions should create and begin using an admin user instead of the root user. After migrating or upgrading from CORE or a pre-SCALE 22.12.3 release to a later SCALE release, use this procedure to create the Local Administrator user.

Go to Credentials > Local Users and click Add.

Enter the name to use for the administrator account. For example, admin. You can create multiple admin users with any name and assign each different administration privileges.

Enter and confirm the admin user password.

Select builtin_administrators on the Auxiliary Group dropdown list.

Add the home directory for the new admin user. Enter or browse to select the location where SCALE creates the home directory. For example, /mnt/tank. If you created a dataset to use for home directories, select that dataset. Select the Read, Write, and Execute permissions for User, Group and Other this user should have, then select Create Home Directory.

Select the shell for this admin user from the Shell dropdown list. To have System Settings > Shell open in the Console Setup Menu, select TrueNAS Console. This gives the administrator access to the TrueNAS and Linux CLI prompts.

Select the sudo authorization permissions for this admin user. Some applications, such as Nextcloud, require sudo permissions for the administrator account. For administrator accounts generated during the initial installation process, TrueNAS SCALE sets authorization to Allow all sudo commands.

Click Save. The system adds the user to the builtin-users group after clicking Save.

Log out of the TrueNAS system and then log back in using the admin user credentials to verify that the admin user credentials work properly with your network configuration.

After adding the admin user account, disable the root user password:

Go to Credentials > Local Users, click on the root user and select Edit. Click the Disable Password toggle to disable the password, then click Save.