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-rw-r--r--packaging/installer/REINSTALL.md42
1 files changed, 39 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/packaging/installer/REINSTALL.md b/packaging/installer/REINSTALL.md
index ddfc8bcb..1356c70d 100644
--- a/packaging/installer/REINSTALL.md
+++ b/packaging/installer/REINSTALL.md
@@ -11,8 +11,11 @@ Netdata Agent on your node.
## One-line installer script (`kickstart.sh`)
+### Reinstalling with the same install type
+
Run the one-line installer script with the `--reinstall` parameter to reinstall the Netdata Agent. This will preserve
-any [user configuration](/docs/configure/nodes.md) in `netdata.conf` or other files.
+any [user configuration](/docs/configure/nodes.md) in `netdata.conf` or other files, and will keep the same install
+type that was used for the original install.
If you used any [optional
parameters](/packaging/installer/methods/kickstart.md#optional-parameters-to-alter-your-installation) during initial
@@ -24,6 +27,41 @@ optional parameters.
wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://my-netdata.io/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --reinstall
```
+### Performing a clean reinstall
+
+Run the one-line installer script with the `--reinstall-clean` parameter to perform a clean reinstall of the
+Netdata Agent. This will wipe all existing configuration and historical data, but can be useful sometimes for
+getting a badly broken installation working again. Unlike the regular `--reinstall` parameter, this may use a
+different install type than the original install used.
+
+If you used any [optional
+parameters](/packaging/installer/methods/kickstart.md#optional-parameters-to-alter-your-installation) during initial
+installation, you need to pass them to the script again during reinstallation. If you cannot remember which options you
+used, read the contents of the `.environment` file and look for a `REINSTALL_OPTIONS` line. This line contains a list of
+optional parameters.
+
+```bash
+wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://my-netdata.io/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --reinstall-clean
+```
+
+### Changing the install type of an existing installation
+
+The clean reinstall procedure outlined above can also be used to manually change the install type for an existing
+installation. Without any extra parameters, it will automatically pick the preferred installation type for your
+system, even if that has changed since the original install. If you want to force use of a specific install type,
+you can use the `--native-only`, `--static-only`, or `--build-only` parameter to control which install type gets
+used, just like with a new install.
+
+When using the `--reinstall-clean` option to change the install type, you will need to manually preserve any
+configuration or historical data you want to keep. The following directories may need to be preserved:
+
+- `/etc/netdata` (`/opt/netdata/etc/netdata` for static installs): For agent configuration.
+- `/var/lib/netdata` (`/opt/netdata/var/lib/netdata` for static installs): For claiming configuration.
+- `/var/cache/netdata` (`/opt/netdata/var/cache/netdata` for static installs): For historical data.
+
+When copying these directories back after the reinstall, you may need to update file ownership by running `chown
+-R netdata:netdata` on them.
+
## Troubleshooting
If you still experience problems with your Netdata Agent installation after following one of these processes, the next
@@ -32,5 +70,3 @@ installer](/packaging/installer/methods/kickstart.md).
You can also post to our [community forums](https://community.netdata.cloud/c/support/13) or create a new [bug
report](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/issues/new?assignees=&labels=bug%2Cneeds+triage&template=BUG_REPORT.yml).
-
-