Expand Root Storage Volume on a Hetzner VPS

Polkachu Team | 2022-04-26

Many node operators use Hetzner VPS to operate a node. Because blockchain requires much storage, the hard disk space typically becomes the bottleneck for many node operators. They can always switch to a more expensive server. However, it is not economical since much of the extra CPU and memory will go wasted.

The post will show 3 simple steps to expand the root storage space on an existing VPS server using Linux's Logical Volume Management. Please notice that this process will wipe your existing disk, so please make backups and switch any essential process to another server temporarily.

Step 1: Create a volume and attach for your VPS instance. The official tutorial is here. Unfortunately, this tutorial is incomplete if you want to use the extra volume as an expansion of your Root "/" folder. That's why you need Step 2 and Step 3.

During our test, it is important to have the extra storage size the same as the original hard drive size. For example, if you currently have 240GB, get another 240GB volume, otherwise some disk space is not utilized for mysterious reasons.

Step 2: Activate the Rescue System. The official tutorial is here. Only the first section "Starting the Hetzner Rescue System" is relevant here.

Step 3: Log into the server via Rescue System and following the YouTube tutorial below in exact steps.

That's all you need, folks!