# Linode OS Upgrade via /var partition reuse

I have a separate /var partition for my data, and all of my user-generated stuff
(Sandstorm, email, databases for things) lives there.

* Make a new OS image. I was going from 16.04 to 18.04.
* Make a new boot profile for the image. Include the new OS image and /var.
* Boot into single user mode.
* Mount the old `/var` on `/mnt`
* Move `/mnt/var/lib/dpkg` somewhere else
* `cp /var/lib/dpkg /mnt/var/lib/dpkg`
* Edit `/etc/fstab` to mount `/var` on boot.
* Reboot
* Docker container should theoretically come right back up once Docker is reinstalled.
* I have Sandstorm installed on `/var/sandstorm`
  * Move `/var/standstorm` to `/var/sandstorm-old`
  * Reinstall Sandstorm, then stop it
  * Move `/var/sandstorm/var` away
  * `cp -av /var/sandstorm-old/var /var/sandstorm`
  * Restart Sandstorm