Tutorials / Recovery

Use VPS Lifecycle and Console Recovery Safely

beginner20 minLast reviewed: 2026-07-15Target OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Written by uNode Engineering; reviewed by uNode Operations.

Lifecycle intent, operation serialization, destructive reinstall warning, console recovery, and IP-persistence verification reviewed against uNode support policy.

Restart and reinstall solve different problems. Restart preserves the disk; reinstall replaces the operating-system disk and should be treated as destructive. The assigned IP should remain tied to the server record through normal lifecycle operations.

Illustration for How to Restart, Reinstall, and Recover a VPS

Prerequisites

  • Access to the uNode web console.
  • The server ID and latest support reference.
  • A current backup before destructive recovery.
Open console server deploy

Recommended plans

Starter

1 vCPU, 3 GB RAM, 20 GB NVMe SSD, 10 TB transfer

Standard

2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 30 GB NVMe SSD, 10 TB transfer

Step 1

Read the current state

Refresh the server detail page and wait for any existing operation to finish. Record the server ID, IP, and operation reference before retrying.

Step 2

Use restart for a running guest

Restart when the OS is responsive enough for a normal reboot. Use stop/start only when a full power cycle is needed. Do not issue repeated actions while one is pending.

Step 3

Use the web console for access repair

Open noVNC when SSH is blocked by firewall, username, or key policy. Use it to inspect networking and sshd rather than immediately reinstalling.

Step 4

Reinstall only with a backup

Confirm the target image and acknowledge that reinstall replaces guest data. Save the newly delivered credentials and verify the original server/IP mapping after completion.

What's next

Fix SSH authenticationBack up and migrateContact support