These instructions assume you have a working instance of GitLab. They guide you through:
1. Making your existing instance the **primary**node.
1. Adding **secondary**nodes.
1. Making your existing instance the **primary**site.
1. Adding **secondary**site(s).
WARNING:
The steps below should be followed in the order they appear. **Make sure the GitLab version is the same on all nodes.**
The steps below should be followed in the order they appear. **Make sure the GitLab version is the same on all sites.**
## Using Omnibus GitLab
If you installed GitLab using the Omnibus packages (highly recommended):
1.[Install GitLab Enterprise Edition](https://about.gitlab.com/install/) on the server that will serve as the **secondary** node. Do not create an account or log in to the new **secondary** node.
1.[Upload the GitLab License](../../../user/admin_area/license.md) on the **primary**node to unlock Geo. The license must be for [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) or higher.
1.[Install GitLab Enterprise Edition](https://about.gitlab.com/install/) on the node(s) that will serve as the **secondary** site. Do not create an account or log in to the new **secondary** site.
1.[Upload the GitLab License](../../../user/admin_area/license.md) on the **primary**site to unlock Geo. The license must be for [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) or higher.
1.[Set up the database replication](database.md)(`primary(read-write)<-> secondary (read-only)` topology).
1.[Configure fast lookup of authorized SSH keys in the database](../../operations/fast_ssh_key_lookup.md). This step is required and needs to be done on **both** the **primary** and **secondary**nodes.
1.[Configure GitLab](../replication/configuration.md) to set the **primary** and **secondary**nodes.
1. Optional: [Configure a secondary LDAP server](../../auth/ldap/index.md) for the **secondary**node. See [notes on LDAP](../index.md#ldap).
1.[Configure fast lookup of authorized SSH keys in the database](../../operations/fast_ssh_key_lookup.md). This step is required and needs to be done on **both** the **primary** and **secondary**site(s).
1.[Configure GitLab](../replication/configuration.md) to set the **primary** and **secondary**site(s).
1. Optional: [Configure a secondary LDAP server](../../auth/ldap/index.md) for the **secondary**site(s). See [notes on LDAP](../index.md#ldap).
1. Follow the [Using a Geo Site](../replication/usage.md) guide.
## Post-installation documentation
After installing GitLab on the **secondary**nodes and performing the initial configuration, see the [following documentation for post-installation information](../index.md#post-installation-documentation).
After installing GitLab on the **secondary**site(s) and performing the initial configuration, see the [following documentation for post-installation information](../index.md#post-installation-documentation).
