The following is based on a scenario of having two instances of umbrelOS running on the same network (LAN).
For this reason, we start from the situation that we already have an umbrel server installed and working on the network. By default, this server is already called “Umbrel”. From here on and for the purposes of this guide, we will call this server “umbrel1”
Before proceeding, it would be ideal if this server already has a fixed IP assigned, to avoid possible setbacks and make things easier for us. If you do not know how to assign a fixed IP to umbrel, you can use the following link for guidance.
HOW-TO Static IP on UmbrelOS (in a simple and practical way)
We continue with the process by installing the second umbrel and, when finished, we run it.
By default, this second umbrel server, from here on out and for the purposes of this guide, we will call this server “umbrel2”, has the same name (hostname) as umbrel1. However, it has a different IP assigned by your router’s DHCP.
Here we need to find out the IP assigned to the new umbrel. You can do this by consulting your router’s dhcp table or with some tool from your PC. A good option is Angry IP Scanner.
Once we know the IP of umbrel2, the new umbrel, we connect via SSH to it. The connection must be through IP. For example, let’s suppose that umbrel2, the new umbrel, has the IP 192.168.1.225 assigned. So, we will connect using the following command.
ssh umbrel@192.168.0.225
Once connected via SSH, we will proceed to make the corresponding name changes.
In the terminal, we look for the first file to modify using the following command.
sudo nano /etc/hostname
It will ask for a password and will open.
You will only find the text “umbrel”. That is what you have to edit, adding or changing it to whatever you want. For example, edit it to umbrel2 or umbrel-2 or umbrel-media, etc. Just remember what you have edited because you will have to do the same, with the same name you have chosen, in the second file that we have yet to edit.
Once changed to the name you have chosen, save and close (CTRL+X) the file. You will return to the main window of the SSH connection.
We look for the second file to modify using the following command.
sudo nano /etc/hosts
There you will find the following.
127.0.0.1 umbrel
127.0.0.1 localhost
You just have to change what says “umbrel” to the name you chose in the first file. They should be the same. Don’t change anything else.
Once you’ve changed it to the name you’ve chosen, which should be the same in the 2 files we edited, save and close (CTRL+X) the file. You’ll return to the main SSH connection window.
Restart your umbrel server.
When you restart, you can now access it with the name you’ve chosen. That is, if you chose "umbrel2, for example, you can access it with umbrel2.local. Umbrel1 will continue to work by default by accessing it with umbrel.local.
This concludes the entire process. As a tip, although it’s optional, you can take advantage of assigning a fixed IP to umbrel2. This way, everything is more organized. But, I repeat, it’s optional.