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Learn how to recover data from a non-booting server using the SystemRescue ISO and create backups → Find out more now
10 November 20264 min read1 Views0 helpful
Introduction
Is your server failing to start? Are you locked out or want to quickly create a backup before making changes?
By booting your server with the SystemRescue ISO, you can still access your drives, recover important files, and create local backups. This works even if the original operating system is no longer accessible.
To securely transfer the recovered data, you can use SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). This allows you to copy files from the rescue system to your local computer or another server over a secure, encrypted connection.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Open the Installation tab of your Dedicated Server, select the SystemRescue 12.01 ISO in the ISO Installation & Management section, and mount it. Then boot once from the ISO in the same section. After that, connect via the Remote Management tab and boot with the default parameters in the boot menu.
It allows you to access your drives, recover important files, and create local backups—even if your server won’t start, you’re locked out, or the original operating system is inaccessible.
Use the command fdisk -l within SystemRescue. It lists all detected drives along with their partitions.
You can use SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) to securely and encryptedly copy files from the rescue system to your local computer or another server.
Open the Remote Management tab of your Dedicated Server, access the iLO management interface, and open the HTML console to view your server’s remote display.
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Navigation
Dedicated Server
Preparation
For the backup, use the SystemRescue ISO version 12.01.
Start by opening the Installation tab of your Dedicated Server.
In the "ISO Installation & Management" section, select the SystemRescue 12.01 ISO from the available options and mount it. Then, in the same section, boot once from the ISO to start the boot process. Once the server has booted from the ISO, connect via the Remote Management tab (see Remote Management) to continue.
In the iLO management interface, open the HTML console to view your server's remote display. Once the console is active, the boot menu for the SystemRescue ISO will appear. Choose the option to boot with the default parameters.
This starts SystemRescue with the recommended default configuration, providing a stable, ready-to-use environment for system maintenance or data backup.
Configure Firewall
For security reasons, SystemRescue enables its firewall by default. This means all incoming connections are blocked to protect the system from unauthorized access.
You need to allow a connection from your local computer to the SFTP server on SystemRescue. You can either configure the firewall to permit SFTP traffic or temporarily disable it.
If you are on a trusted network, the quickest way is to stop the firewall service in SystemRescue with the following command:
Code
systemctl stop iptables
Set Root Password
The SFTP client must authenticate with a username and password to access the SFTP server's data. The system root account is used so the client can access all files visible in SystemRescue. By default, root login is not allowed in SystemRescue. You must set a password so the client can authenticate. Set the password with:
Code
[root@sysrescue ~]# passwd root
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Data Transfer
Now you can back up your data. Simply open an FTP client of your choice and connect to your server. Select SFTP as the transfer protocol. Enter your server’s IP address as the hostname, port 22, and log in with the username root and the password you just set.
When connecting via SFTP for the first time, WinSCP will show this security prompt. The warning appears because the server’s host key is not yet stored in the local cache.
If you are sure the IP address is correct and you initiated the connection intentionally, you can trust the server. Just click "Yes" to confirm. This stores the key in the cache, so you won’t be asked again for future connections to this server.
Once connected, navigate to the previously created rescue directory. There you have access to your files and can download them to your local computer. Simply browse the folders, select the data you want to back up, and transfer it securely via SFTP.
Conclusion
You have now successfully recovered and secured your important files.
Your data is safe and can be restored at any time. You can now proceed with further steps, such as reinstalling the server, repairing the system, or migrating your data to a new environment.
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Available partitions (e.g., /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, …),
The filesystem type (if detected).
In the example, the drive /dev/sda has three partitions: /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, and /dev/sda3. Make sure to select the correct partition to mount. The output of fdisk -l helps you avoid mistakes by clearly showing which data is on which drive. Example:
Code
Disk /dev/sda: 111.76 GiB, 119998201240 bytes, 234373120 sectors
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Type
/dev/sda1 * 2048 1050623 1048576 512M EFI System
/dev/sda2 1050624 3147775 2097152 1G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda3 3147776 234440703 231292928 110G Linux LVM
Once you have identified the correct partition, create a directory to serve as the mount point. This is where the partition will be accessible. Then mount the desired partition to this directory. It is recommended to mount in read-only mode to safely read the data.
Use these commands:
Code
mkdir /mnt/rescue
mount -o ro /dev/sdaX /mnt/rescue
Replace /dev/sdaX with the correct partition you found using . In the example, this would be .
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