Suggested draft update to README.md - How To Use Iotas To Migrate Notes from One Running Nextcloud Server To Another
How do I use the backups?
Create a backup with flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --create-backup
.
To find out where that backup use flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --display-backup-path
.
Whatever mechanism can then be used to transfer that path (eg. rsync, Syncthing).
A backup can be restored via flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --restore-backup
.
Notes:
- Backups are restored from the path displayed with
--display-backup-path
- Backups can only be restored when there are no existing notes
- Backups can't be restored when synced to Nextcloud Notes. In that case your backups should be via the server instead. If the Nextcloud backup/restore processes doesn't suit you and you want to use Iotas for migrating Nextcloud notes between Nextcloud servers, please see Nextcloud Notes Migration steps below.
- Backups can't be created or restored when Iotas is already running. If you want to automate this you can call
flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --quit-running
beforehand.
Can I use Iotas to migrate Nextcloud Notes between two different running Nextcloud Servers?
- Yes
- Why might I want to do this rather than, say, use Nextcloud's own backup/restore solutions? Some reasons might include 1. ease 2. different Nextcloud software versions or database versions/types on the source and destination Nextcloud servers 3. your physically copied or transferred md notes files don't appear in the destination Nextloud server without SQL database table changes and you either don't want to make these SQL changes or don't know how to make them 4. you don't want to restore/migrate other parts of Nextcloud, you only want to move the Notes
- Notes Migration Process:
- Strongly recommended: (in case something goes wrong during your Notes migration) Make a full backup of both the source and destination Nextcloud servers using your usual Nextcloud backup processes.
- Open Iotas > Preferences and ensure you are connected to the Nextcloud source server (ie sync Iotas to the Nextcloud server which currently holds the Notes that you want to migrate)
- Visually check the total number of Notes in each category in Iotas vs the number of Notes in the source Nextcloud web interface. They should be the same. If so, Iotas is sync'd correctly and you are ready to migrate.
- Close Iotas
- Create an Iotas backup with
flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --create-backup
and to find out where that backup is located useflatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --display-backup-path
. - Iotas > Preferences > Data > Disconnect Nextcloud and Reset Database. Close Iotas. If successful, Iotas locally is now blank and has no data/Notes.
- The backup of Iotas you made above can now be restored via
flatpak run org.gnome.World.Iotas --restore-backup
- Open Iotas and you should see a local copy of all the Notes (that are/were on the source Nextcloud server). If so, proceed to the next step below
- Now connect Iotas to sync to the destination Nextcloud server then choose Iotas > Menu > Refresh and in your web browser connect to the destination Nextcloud web interface, choose Notes and refresh/reload the browser. Depending on the number of Notes you have, it may take some time to sync all the local Notes to the destination Nextcloud server.
- Once the sync is complete, you should now see all the Notes from the source Nextcloud server inside the web interface of the destination Nextcloud server. At this point, Iotas however, may show each Note to be duplicated or Note quantities to be duplicated ie twice the number of Notes locally compared to the number of Notes shown in the Nextcloud server web interface. This is ok.
- Double check in the Nextcloud web interface that all the Notes that were on the source Nextcloud server are now correctly available on the destination Nextcloud server and that there is only one copy of each Note (no duplicates). Then Iotas > Preferences > Data > Disconnect Nextcloud.
- Close and reopen Iotas and navigate to Preferences > Data > Reset Database. Your local Iotas now has no data/Notes, once again.
- Now choose Iotas > Sync to Nextcloud and connect to the destination Nextcloud server again.
- All Notes should now viewable/editable in both the destination Nextcloud server web interface and locally in Iotas, without any duplication or ommissions.
- Notes migration is now complete