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Prepare a dedicated server for an operating-system reinstall

CloudExaA helpdedicated-server guide.reinstall can overwrite the operating system and data disks. Use this checklist only when you intend to replace the installation. If your goal is to repair access or networking, ask support about recovery before choosing a destructive action.

Confirm the physical server

Sign in at dedicated.cloudexa-hosting.com. Match the server name, primary IP and billing service against your records. Stop if the assignment is missing or inconsistent. A similar name is not enough to identify the machine.

Check who else uses it. If you run virtual machines, containers or customer applications on this server, include their disks, data and downtime in your plan. A host reinstall can affect all of them. Confirm permission with the service owner before continuing.

Keep usable backups outside the machine

  • Copy application files, uploaded data, configurations and required credentials to secure storage outside the server.
  • Export databases using an application-consistent method. Pause writes for the final copy where needed.
  • Include VM or container data and definitions if the machine hosts them. A list of guests is not a backup of their disks.
  • Open sample files from the copy and test recovery where practical. Check archive size and completion instead of relying on a started job.
  • Keep backup decryption keys and account recovery methods somewhere you can access after wiping the server.

Record the current disk layout, RAID arrangement and mount points. For Linux, read-only checks such as lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,FSTYPE,MOUNTPOINTS can help. Disk names may change in an installer, so also record drive models, capacities and serial numbers where available.

Prepare networking and console access

Record the assigned IPv4 and any IPv6 addresses, prefix lengths, gateways and DNS requirements. Use the values assigned to this service. Never borrow an adjacent address or infer a gateway from a subnet.

Open the remote console before starting. Follow the console and ISO guide and confirm that the screen belongs to this machine. If the console is blank, refuses connections or shows the wrong system, resolve that first. Test that you can return to the panel from another tab.

Choose the installation and disk layout

Review the available operating-system profile and architecture. Confirm that the application you plan to run supports it. Installation options depend on the server's configured connection and your permissions; contact support if the intended profile or action is absent.

Read the selected disk layout before confirming. Automatic partitioning or RAID options may use several drives. Do not assume that an installer preserves a separate data disk unless the actual installation plan confirms it. Stop and ask support when the affected drives are unclear.

If you see DHCP assignment missing, capture the error and send the service ID and time to support. A predetermined static public IP does not remove the provisioning system's need for the correct boot configuration. Do not add arbitrary DHCP settings, reuse another machine's MAC or repeatedly launch installs.

Complete one install and check recovery

After confirming backups and the overwrite scope, follow the panel's installation prompts once. Monitor its progress and console. Send support any persistent error rather than starting a second installation over the first.

After boot, verify assigned networking, SSH access, storage mounts and the intended OS. Apply supported security updates, restore applications and test them before reopening traffic. Remove temporary boot media and keep your external backups until recovery checks finish.

Further reading: Dedicated installation capabilities and provisioning connections.