---
title: Add a new replica
description: Adding a new replica means installing a new DS server.
component: pingds
version: 8.1
page_id: pingds:config-guide:repl-add-replica
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingds/8.1/config-guide/repl-add-replica.html
revdate: 2025-10-22T14:42:39Z
keywords: ["Features", "LDAP", "Replication"]
---

# Add a new replica

Adding a new replica means [installing a new DS server](../install-guide/preface.html).

* If you have the user data as LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
  \<p>An IETF standard file format for representing LDAP directory content and modifications to directory content. Typically used to import and export LDAP-based directory information.\</p>
  \</div>)* and can import it using one of the setup profiles, set the new replica up with the appropriate setup profiles, importing the data from LDIF at setup time.

* If you must import user data from LDIF you can't import through a setup profile, or you opt to get the user data by restoring backup files from another replica:

  1. Set the new replica up with the appropriate setup profiles, *omitting the `setup --start` option to prevent the new server from starting*.

  2. With the new replica stopped, [import the LDIF *offline*](import-export.html#import-ldif) or [restore the data from backup *offline*](../maintenance-guide/backup-restore.html#restore-offline).

  3. Start the new replica.

     |   |                                                                                                                              |
     | - | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
     |   | If you accidentally started the new replica before you restored the data from backup, remove the new replica and start over. |