We need a way to rename homeservers (SYN-28)

[matrixbot]

The current common use case for Synapse is that people install it running as localhost - have a play with it; see that it's good.

They then want to expose the same server to run as --server-name foo.net - except there isn't (as far as I know) an easy way to change the server-name without vaping the whole HS DB. We need one.

(Imported from https://matrix.org/jira/browse/SYN-28)

(Reported by @ara4n)

[matrixbot]

Jira watchers: @erikjohnston @ara4n

[matrixbot]

Links exported from Jira:

relates to SYN-266

[matrixbot]

I don't think this can be done once the home server has federated with anyone else, since the remote will will always send to the old server name.

For the special case of renaming from a localhost we can probably write a script that goes and rewrites the local DB.

-- @erikjohnston

[matrixbot]

We need to think this through better before it's too late.

If I decide to rebrand from foo.com to bar.com, it sounds like my only choice is to create a new HS DB containing the same account/profile names as before, and then somehow bootstrap these new users into the same rooms as the old ones (by inviting them using the old users)?

This feels very unwieldy. I guess supporting forwarding addresses would be a step in the better direction, and then we can migrate like email. For now, however, I can't see anything better than a script which creates the new DB and helps guide you through rejoining your users into rooms as the new user (and possibly leaving those rooms as the old user).

(Thank goodness we don't have 1:1 rooms!)

-- @ara4n

[matrixbot]

The old users won't necessarily have permission to invite new users into the room.

-- @erikjohnston

[ptman]

matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals#2787

[cypherworld]

+1
please re-open this

[erikjohnston]

This will need spec work FTR

[IngwiePhoenix]

I am stripping away a few domains I own. One of them is associated to my HS.

Can I transfer my existing (two and a half years of work) state to a new domain? Or do I have to redo just about everything?

Thanks. :)

[ptman]

This ticket would (hopefully) have been closed if there was a way

[IngwiePhoenix]

I see, so I'll be spending my day trying to note down all the channels I am in and re-joining them... ah, fun. :/
Thanks tho :)

[ptman]

There exists https://ems.element.io/tools/matrix-migration

[IngwiePhoenix]

Looks neat; however I will have to figure out a way to run a new blank homeserver and my "old" homeserver at the same time for that. That said, this tool is super handy nevertheless, making a bookmark for later. Thanks!

[jlemangarin]

How can we do when our instance is only local without federation (so we don't have any external synchronisation issues as mentionned in #1209 (comment) )

[gleruzh]

There exists https://ems.element.io/tools/matrix-migration

1. but it looks like a migration of room memebership, but not messages visibility, or I'm mistaken?
2. how it could work for "private per server" rooms (with "Block anyone not part of {{ matrix_domain }} from ever joining this room: Enabled")?