How to Replicate Installed Software from One Linux System to Another

This blog post will guide you through the process of replicating the installed software from one Linux system to another, ensuring that your new machine mirrors the software setup of your original system.

Why Replicate Installed Software?

There are several reasons you might want to replicate software between Linux systems:

• Server Migration: Moving software from an old system to a new one, ensuring continuity of service.
• Scaling: Setting up additional machines that need to mirror the same environment.
• Disaster Recovery: Quickly restoring a system with the same applications and configurations after an issue or failure.
• Development and Testing: Ensuring that your testing or development environments mirror your production environment exactly.

Step 1: Install Software on the Source System

The first step in replication is to install the desired software on your source Linux system. We’ll use NGINX (a popular web server) as an example here, but this process can be applied to any software package.

Example: Install NGINX on the Source System

1. Install NGINX on the first machine (Source System):

On RHEL/CentOS/Fedora (using dnf or yum):

sudo dnf install nginx -y        

2. Start the Service: Once NGINX is installed, start and enable it to run on system boot:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx        

3. Verify Installation: Confirm that NGINX is running:

sudo systemctl status nginx        

4. Check NGINX: Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address or domain of your source system to see if the default NGINX page is displayed.

Step 2: Replicate Software on the Target System

Now that NGINX is installed on the Source System, we need to replicate this installation on the Target System.

Replicate Software Using Package Managers

The easiest and most efficient way to replicate software is by using the package manager on the target system. This ensures that the software, as well as its dependencies, are installed properly.

1. Generate a List of Installed Packages on the Source System: On the Source System, generate a list of all installed packages:

For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora (using rpm):

rpm -qa > installed-packages.txt        

2. Transfer the Package List to the Target System: Use scp, rsync, or any other method to transfer the installed-packages.txt file to the Target System. For example, using scp:

scp installed-packages.txt user@target:/path/to/destination/        

3. Install the Same Packages on the Target System: On the Target System, use the package manager to install the software listed in the file.

For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora:

sudo dnf install $(cat installed-packages.txt) -y        

This will install the same packages on the Target System. It will ensure that all the necessary dependencies and configurations are also replicated.

4. Verify the Installation on the Target System: After installation, verify that NGINX (or any other application) is working properly on the Target System:

sudo systemctl status nginx        

Open a browser and check the NGINX page on the Target System to confirm that the replication was successful.

So after using all the above commands step by step we successfully replicated the installed software into a new system.

Conclusion

Replicating software installations between Linux systems can be a crucial part of your workflow, whether you're setting up new servers, migrating systems, or ensuring consistency across environments. By using package managers, you can ensure that the software environment on one machine is faithfully reproduced on another.

While package managers (such as dnf, yum, and apt) offer a streamlined approach to replicating software installations and dependencies.

By following the steps outlined in this blog, you’ll be able to easily replicate software across Linux systems and maintain consistency throughout your infrastructure.

Final Thoughts

Replicating software installations not only improves efficiency but also ensures consistency and stability across your systems. Whether you are a system administrator managing multiple machines or simply migrating your own setup, mastering this process can save time and reduce configuration errors.

Thank you for reading...