# migration-plan-app4-core-bu-2026-09-15.md

**Owner:** IT Pro Partner (Germaine Brown)
**Created:** 2026-09-15
**Status:** ACTIVE (supersedes the draft `app4-migration-plan.md` of 2026-08-15; that file is kept for history)
**Scope:** (a) move Core's customer-facing services onto the new `app4`; (b) stand up `core-bu` as Core's
warm standby with a working failover **and failback**; (c) update every document, record and reference that
names hosts, IPs or service locations.

---

## 1. What is verified today (2026-09-15)

Everything in this section was measured on the live boxes, not copied from a doc.

### 1.1 The two new boxes

| | **app4** | **core-bu** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role | Core's customer-facing services | Core's warm standby |
| Hostname | `v2202609377162521278.quicksrv.de` | `v2202609377162521279.megasrv.de` |
| IPv4 | `159.195.205.80/22` | `159.195.204.203/22` |
| IPv6 | `2a0a:4cc0:c2:bcbf:34b3:8cff:fea2:2892` | `2a0a:4cc0:c2:b3e0:9409:42ff:fe3b:5397` |
| Model | netcup RS 4000 G12, 12 vCPU / 32 GB / 1007 GB | netcup RS 2000 G12, 8 vCPU / 16 GB / 503 GB |
| Location | Nuremberg (NBG) | Nuremberg (NBG) |
| RTT from Core | 100.5 ms | 100.5 ms |

`core-bu` is the exact twin of Core (same 8 vCPU / 16 GB / 503 GB shape), which is what a standby should be.

### 1.2 Provisioning status: COMPLETE and verified

Both boxes were provisioned to the ITPP standard on 2026-09-15 and each item was verified, not asserted:

- Debian 13, hostname set, timezone `America/New_York`, 8 GB swap (9 GB on app4).
- `ippadmin` user with NOPASSWD sudo; `itpp-infra` key installed for **both** `root` and `ippadmin`.
- `ufw` **active** (22/80/443, plus 9100 only from Core and from the tailnet).
- `fail2ban` active, `unattended-upgrades` active.
- Docker CE **29.8.0** + Compose **v5.5.1** (upstream repo, matching app1's `docker-compose-plugin 5.3.1~trixie` family).
- `node_exporter` listening on `:9100` - HTTP 200 from Core, **closed** from a third host.
- `awscli` + Wasabi credentials in `/root/.aws/credentials` (mode 600).
- sshd hardened to the fleet convention: `PermitRootLogin without-password`, `PasswordAuthentication no`,
  `AllowUsers ippadmin root`. Verified four ways per box (root key login, ippadmin key login + `sudo -n`,
  password auth refused, non-allowlisted user refused) with the self-reverting lockout guard armed.

### 1.3 Backups: enrolled and restore-tested

| Host | Script | Schedule | Destination | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| app4 | `root-essentials-backup.sh` | 04:45 ET | `s3://hermes-vps-backups/root-backup/app4/` | first run: upload + in-script download/extract verify OK |
| core-bu | `root-essentials-backup.sh` | 05:15 ET | `s3://hermes-vps-backups/root-backup/core-bu/` | first run: upload + in-script download/extract verify OK |

Note the known gap this replicates: `root-essentials-backup.sh` **excludes `*.db` by design**. Any database
these boxes end up hosting needs its own `sqlite3 .backup` / `pg_dump` job, exactly as `anita-mnz` needed
`hermes-db-backup.sh`. This is an explicit Phase 4/5 acceptance item, not an optional nicety.

### 1.4 Monitoring: registered

A `node_exporter` job was added to the **live** Prometheus config
(`/root/docker/monitoring/prometheus/prometheus.yml`) - the job did not previously exist. `up=1` verified for
`core:9100`, `app4:9100`, `core-bu:9100`.

**Finding (pre-existing, not caused by this work):** `node_exporter` is **not running** on app1, app2, app3 or
app1-bu; and the node_exporter target list in `/opt/prometheus/prometheus.yml` lives in a file Prometheus never
loaded (it still names decommissioned `wphost02` and `178.156.131.57`). Host metrics for the existing fleet were
therefore never collected. Tracked in Section 8.

### 1.5 Credentials

Console/root credentials for both boxes are recorded in `/root/.hermes/references/new-servers-2026-09-15.md`
(mode 600, root only). Password auth is disabled on both boxes, so those passwords are **console/rescue only**.
Vaultwarden was **locked** at the time of writing, so the Vaultwarden entries are still owed (Section 9, Q3).

---

## 2. End state

| Host | Role after migration |
| --- | --- |
| **Core** (152.53.192.33, RS 2000, Manassas) | Hermes + its direct dependencies (browserless, camofox-browser, SearXNG, Super Search MCP), Prometheus/Telegraf/Grafana, mikrotik-exporter, Caddy for Core-local routes. **No customer-facing apps.** |
| **app4** (159.195.205.80, RS 4000 G12, Nuremberg) | All customer-facing apps, their databases, and all customer-facing Caddy routes + TLS. |
| **core-bu** (159.195.204.203, RS 2000 G12, Nuremberg) | Warm standby for Core (Hermes, its state, its watchdog). Dormant until failover. |
| **app1-bu** (5.161.225.131, Hetzner CPX21, Ashburn) | Retirement candidate once `core-bu` is proven. **Only remaining non-netcup box** (Section 3.2). |
| **anita-mnz** (159.195.16.30, netcup, Manassas) | Unchanged. Anita's dedicated Hermes box. |
| **app1 / app2 / app3** (Manassas) | Unchanged by this plan. |

---

## 3. Deviations and risks you must decide on

### 3.1 app4 is in Nuremberg, not Manassas (NEW, material)

Measured: **100.5 ms RTT Core -> app4**, versus 0.5 ms Core -> app2 (Manassas) and 1.6 ms -> app1-bu (Ashburn).
The old draft assumed Manassas. Consequences:

- **Customer latency on app4-hosted sites.** Typical US East users add roughly 80-110 ms per round trip versus
  a Manassas host. For static sites this is mostly invisible; for interactive apps (DocuSeal signing flow,
  Ops Portal, TimeTrex) it is user-visible.
- **Core <-> app4 chatter crosses the Atlantic.** Any Core->app4 API call, monitoring scrape, backup pull, or
  Caddy proxy hit pays ~100 ms. This is acceptable if app4 is self-contained, and painful if the two are chatty.
  Design rule for this migration: **app4 must not depend on Core at request time.**
- **Benefit, and it is real:** Core (US) and its standby (EU) now fail independently. A Nuremberg outage does
  not touch Core, and a Manassas outage does not touch the standby. The old pair (Core + app1-bu Ashburn) were
  1.6 ms apart and shared the US East corridor.

**Options:** (A) accept Nuremberg and design app4 to be self-contained (recommended, zero cost, boxes are paid);
(B) re-order app4 as a Manassas RS 4000 and keep the Nuremberg box as the standby. This is a money decision,
so it is yours.

### 3.2 Provider diversity is now unmet

Core, app1, app2, app3, app4, core-bu and anita-mnz are **all netcup**. `app1-bu` (Hetzner) is the only other
provider, and this plan retires it. Mitigation options: keep app1-bu as the *provider-diverse* last-resort
standby even after core-bu is primary (cheapest option, EUR 31.99/mo), or move the off-site backup/DR device to a
non-netcup provider. **This must be decided before app1-bu is deleted**, and the DR principle that has governed
the org so far ("a netcup outage must not kill both live and standby") is currently **satisfied by geography but
not by provider**.

### 3.3 app4 has no standby of its own

`app4` becomes the single host for every customer-facing service. If it dies, customer apps are down until
S3 restore. `core-bu` is shaped for Core, not for the customer tier (16 GB, and it is meant to be dormant).
Options: (A) accept S3-restore RTO for app4; (B) let core-bu carry a cold/secondary copy of app4's data;
(C) budget a second app-tier box. Recommend a decision **now**, because it changes what core-bu should
replicate.

### 3.4 DNS authority is split

Confirmed by the old plan's own checklist and this project's history: `itpropartner.com` is on **SiteGround
nameservers (manual panel, no API)**; `fleettracker360.com` and `voipsimplicity.com` are on **Cloudflare**;
`iamgmb.com`, `intelsight.io`, `debtrecoveryexperts.com` need per-domain `dig NS` verification in Phase 0.
Every cutover record must be changed in the correct panel or it is a silent no-op. Section 6 lists the records.

---

## 4. Migration phases

Each phase has a gate: **the next phase does not start until the gate's evidence exists.**

### Phase 0 - Inventory and recon (Core, read-only) - IN PROGRESS

Deliverable: `docs/infrastructure/core-service-inventory-2026-09-15.md` (+ `.json`) - every container, unit,
port, volume, database, cron job, TLS cert and Caddy route on Core, with sizes and dependencies.

Gate: inventory lists every Caddy site block and its upstream, and explicitly resolves two conflicts that
existing docs disagree on:
1. **DocuSeal** is recorded on **Core** by the Aug 15 draft but on **App1** by `backup-plan.md` (4:00 AM job).
2. **SearXNG** likewise. Only the live `docker ps` / Caddyfile settles it.

### Phase 1 - Provision app4 + core-bu, monitoring first - **COMPLETE (2026-09-15)**

See Section 1. Gate met: both boxes verified; backups restore-tested; both scraped by Prometheus; no customer
app touched.

### Phase 2 - Access and naming (needs your input)

- Enroll both boxes in Tailscale (needs a reusable auth key or your approval of the login URL - Section 9, Q1).
- Decide DNS names: `app4.itpropartner.com` and `core-bu.itpropartner.com` A/AAAA records, added in the correct
  panel (SiteGround for `itpropartner.com`). Internal access and monitoring already work **by IP**, so this is
  not blocking, but the docs and the recovery manual read better with names.
- Install Caddy on app4 with `default_bind 159.195.205.80` (avoids the Tailscale :443 conflict).

Gate: `tailscale status` shows both nodes; name resolution works from Core.

### Phase 3 - Prove the pattern on low-risk apps

- Move **microbin** (`127.0.0.1:8260`) first: single container, one volume, no database.
- Move **Uptime Kuma** second: it is the monitoring tool, so it must be moved carefully and its own downtime
  window announced.
- For each: stop on Core, rsync the volume, start on app4, verify side-by-side with
  `curl --resolve <domain>:443:159.195.205.80`, then flip DNS, then soak 24 h.
- This phase validates the runbook (per-service steps, verification and rollback) before any customer app moves.

Gate: microbin and Uptime Kuma both served from app4 with app4-issued TLS, verified externally, and their S3
backups land from app4 - not from Core - with a restore test on at least one.

### Phase 4 - Data foundation + first real app

- Provision Postgres and Redis **fresh** on app4 (internal-only binds, least privilege, no public 5432/6379).
- Move the **Ops Portal backend** (`:8090`), then **DocuSeal** (SQLite + attachments + its internal Redis),
  then **TimeTrex** (Postgres-backed).
- Databases: `pg_dump -Fc` per database, restore on app4, then **compare row counts per major table**, not a
  spot check. SQLite: `sqlite3 .backup`, never `cp`.
- **New backup jobs on app4 for every database it now hosts** (`*.db` is excluded from the essentials archive).

Gate: row counts match; `curl --resolve` responses match Core; app4-backup + restore test for each moved DB.

### Phase 5 - Customer sites and the voice stack

- rsync every static customer site root (`*.iamgmb.com`, `*.intelsight.io`, `*.fleettracker360.com`,
  `*.debtrecoveryexperts.com`) to app4; `caddy validate` the app4 config; pre-issue TLS.
- Voice stack (`voice.*`, `voice-open.*`): enumerate Twilio webhooks and any external endpoints in Phase 0 and
  update them **before** the DNS flip, or calls break after cutover.

Gate: every moving domain answers from app4 with a valid cert; voice end-to-end call tested.

### Phase 6 - DNS cutover, soak, decommission on Core

- Lower TTL to 60-300 on every moving record **24 h before** the flip (correct panel per domain).
- Flip one domain at a time, low traffic first, verifying each (`dig +short @1.1.1.1`, then `curl -sI`).
- Keep Core's Caddy blocks as a 301 redirect to app4 during a 24-72 h soak; remove with targeted edits and the
  caddy-audit hook (never a whole-file rewrite).
- Then: stop/remove the moved containers on Core, retain volumes + images **30 days** as rollback, decommission
  the customer schemas in Core's Postgres/Redis.

Gate: 72 h soak with no rollback; Core runs zero customer-facing apps; rollback path still intact.

### Phase 7 - core-bu standby, failover AND failback proven (parallel with 3-6)

- Install the standby package (sync + watchdog with a health-based decision branch, fence-before-takeover, and
  **automatic failback**, which the current app1-bu scripts do not have).
- **Only one standby may be armed at a time.** Disarm app1-bu before arming core-bu, or a Core hiccup makes both
  answer as the same Telegram bot.
- Prove it with a real, announced test: failover, then failback, then confirm the standby is dormant again.

Gate: failover and failback both demonstrated with evidence, and app1-bu verifiably disarmed.

### Phase 8 - Documentation and reference sweep

Deliverable: `docs/infrastructure/reference-update-matrix-2026-09-15.md` - every artifact that names a host.
Includes at minimum: `key-inventory.md` (done), `backup-plan.md` (done), `CHANGELOG.md` (done),
`app-inventory.csv`, `server-architecture-plan`, `server-dr-plans`, `dr-issue-log`, the recovery manual,
`decommissioned-hosts.json` + `stale-reference-verify.py` (add `app1-bu` when retired), Prometheus config
(live one, **and delete/refresh the dead `/opt/prometheus/prometheus.yml`**), Grafana dashboards, Uptime Kuma
monitors, `health-master-watchdog.py`, Hermes cron `jobs.json` live-config fields, Hudu assets, the ops portal,
client-facing runbooks, and any skill that hardcodes a host or IP.

Gate: `stale-reference-verify.py` and `doc-live-verify.py` both clean; every doc cites the new IPs.

---

## 5. Acceptance criteria (whole project)

1. Core hosts no customer-facing app; every moved domain answers from app4 with a valid TLS cert.
2. Every moved service has: a data migration that was verified by counts/sizes, a health check, and a tested
   rollback.
3. Every database on app4 has its own backup job with a **performed restore test** (a green cron entry is not
   evidence).
4. `core-bu` failover **and** failback both demonstrated; exactly one standby armed at any time.
5. Documentation matrix closed out: no live surface names a decommissioned host or a stale IP.
6. `app1-bu` is either retired (with the provider-diversity decision recorded) or explicitly retained as the
   provider-diverse standby.

---

## 6. DNS and Caddy change checklist

- [ ] `dig NS` every moving domain; record the authoritative panel in Phase 0.
- [ ] Pre-write all moving site blocks into app4's Caddyfile; `caddy validate`; pre-issue certs.
- [ ] `default_bind 159.195.205.80` in app4's Caddy global block.
- [ ] TTL 60-300 at least 24 h before each flip.
- [ ] Flip per domain; verify `dig +short @1.1.1.1` and `curl -sI https://<domain>`.
- [ ] Keep Core blocks as 301s for the soak window; then targeted removal + caddy-audit hook.
- [ ] Update Http->Https and any `CNAME`/`www` records in the **same** panel as the A record.

---

## 7. Rollback

- Before each phase: snapshot DNS records, Core Caddyfile, Core `docker ps`/volume list.
- Phases 3-5: stop on app4, flip DNS back to Core, restart the Core container. Core volumes are untouched.
- Phase 6: with low TTL, the flip back propagates in minutes; Core blocks are retained during soak.
- Data: Core volumes/images retained 30 days. After that, restore from app4's S3 backups (which is why the
  Phase 1/4 restore tests are mandatory).
- `core-bu`: failback is part of the design, not an afterthought; the standby stands down on its own.

---

## 8. Follow-up findings raised by this work (not fixed here)

| # | Finding | Impact | Owner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | `node_exporter` not running on app1, app2, app3, app1-bu | No host metrics for the fleet | This project (Phase 8) |
| 2 | `/opt/prometheus/prometheus.yml` is a dead file containing decommissioned hosts (wphost02, 178.156.131.57) and was never loaded | Misleading; wasted trust | Phase 8 |
| 3 | netcup SCP/CCP API auth returns HTTP 500 / 404 (worked in July) | Provisioning automation via API is dead | Separate |
| 4 | `hermes-standby-sync.sh` has a ping-based failback flaw and no failback logic | Standby reliability | Phase 7 |
| 5 | `hermes-snapshot.sh:34` does a live `VACUUM INTO` | Store churn | Separate |

---

## 9. Open decisions (needed from Germaine)

**Q1 - Tailscale:** add both boxes to the tailnet. Need either a reusable auth key, or approve the login URL
from each box.

**Q2 - Nuremberg vs Manassas for app4:** accept Nuremberg (design app4 self-contained) or re-order app4 in
Manassas and repurpose the Nuremberg box? Section 3.1.

**Q3 - Vaultwarden:** the CLI is locked. Unlock it (or tell me when) and I will file the two new server items.

**Q4 - app1-bu:** retire it, or keep it as the provider-diverse standby? Section 3.2 - this is the only
remaining non-netcup box.

**Q5 - app4 standby scope:** accept S3-restore RTO, or should core-bu carry a secondary copy? Section 3.3.

---

## Appendix A - Verified evidence log (2026-09-15)

| Check | Result |
| --- | --- |
| RTT Core -> app4 / core-bu | 100.5 ms / 100.5 ms |
| RTT Core -> app2 (Manassas) / app1-bu (Ashburn) | 0.5 ms / 1.6 ms |
| `authorized_keys` (root + ippadmin, both boxes) | present, sha256 `102c80e5...`, 1 line each |
| Key login from Core | root OK, ippadmin `sudo -n` -> root, both boxes |
| Password auth / non-allowlisted user | refused on both |
| `ufw status` | active, 22/80/443 + 9100 from Core/tailnet |
| Docker / Compose | 29.8.0 / v5.5.1 both |
| `node_exporter` | 200 from Core; refused from app2 (third host) |
| Prometheus `up{job="node_exporter"}` | core, app4, core-bu = 1 |
| First backup run | upload + download/extract verify OK on both |
| Credentials file | `/root/.hermes/references/new-servers-2026-09-15.md`, mode 600 |