Today we will see together how and why I migrated to the almost new all-in-one SDN controller from Ubiquiti: L’UDM Pro SE.
Some time ago, Ubiquiti released a new version of its very popular UDM, I had the opportunity to present all this to you in previous articles and videos, do not hesitate to check it out.
Why UDM SE?
The SE model is for “ Special Edition“. This model physically resembles the UDM Pro in every way, and there is also a strictly identical processor and RAM, however, it is a version that contains 8 POE ports unlike its little brother as well as a 128GB SSD. You will also find a port WAN compatible 2.5Gbps.
The UDM PRO SE also has a lot of software features that are not yet available on the UDM Pro, such as load balancing for your internet line or WireGuard as a VPN server!
Migration Ubiquiti
I am going to share with you my migration method here to replace a UDM Pro with an SE, of course, this method can be applied to other migrations, or even to a replacement of UDM in the event of a breakdown.
Backup before migration
Obviously, as with any migration, it is important to make a final backup of everything we use on Unifi. This includes Unifi OS, but also applications. In my case, Network & Protect. Unifi OS backup is useful only if you are migrating to identical hardware. I explain how to do it below, but it will not be useful for a UDM PRO to UDM PRO SE migration.
Backup Unifi OS
From Unifi OS, in the settings, click on “System”, then on “Create Backup”. This will allow us to have the most up-to-date backup possible. This backup will allow us to recover the users, the applications used (but not the data, we will talk regarding this a little later), the firewall settings, the LAN and WiFi networks and any other settings related to your Unifi console.
This backup will be hosted in the Ubiquiti Cloud, but I advise you to download it to your computer. To do this, once the backup has been created, click on “Download Backup”.
In the case of a migration to different hardware, it is necessary to back up each of the applications.
Sauvegarder Unifi Network
From the settings of the Unifi Network application, click on “System”, then in the “Backups” section you will be able to recover your last backup.
If you want a more recent backup, then you will need to go to the Legacy interface in order to be able to do an instant backup.
Sauvegarder Unifi Protect
Now we are going to do the same thing from the Protect application. Still in the settings, go to the Migration section to then download the Migration file.
Personally, I don’t use any other Unifi apps today, but if in your case, you use others, then consider backing them up as well.
We can now turn off our UDM and replace it with the new one by selecting “Turn Off Console” from Unifi OS.
Starting UDM SE
Too bad it is not possible to restore from the first steps of the installation guide. It seemed logical though. But no, you will have to launch a standard configuration of the UDM Pro SE, to finally be able to launch the application restoration step. But before that, you must update your UDM PRO SE. The idea is to try to align the versions between your UDM PRO and the UDM PRO SE and its applications. To do this, go to Unifi OS, then Updates to finally launch the update.
Depending on the version, the update process may have to be done twice. This was my case, until being updated in version 3.0. When updating Unifi OS, apps are also updated.
We will now be able to restore the Network application to recover control over our access points as well as all the parameters that we had previously (VLAN, Firewalling, WiFi…)
Restore the Unifi Network app
From the Network application, in “System” and in the “Backups” section, you will be able to restore the backup made on your UDM PRO previously.
This will allow you to recover all of your settings made previously on your UDM PRO.
Restore the Unifi Protect app
Same thing here for the Protect application, Ubiquiti’s video surveillance system, you can restore the settings from the application settings, in the Migration section.
Regarding your recordings, you can completely recover the old disk of your UDM PRO to put it on the UDM PRO SE. If you want to learn more regarding this migration, feel free to take a look at my migration video.
If you have any difficulties, comments are open!
MAKE A DONATION