New server _and_ 6.5-8.5 migration

HCL Domino Domino Forum
1

Hello,

I’m a fairly novice Domino Administrator. I basically support the operating system/hardware/Domino server backend.

Our current environment is aging, but reliable. Unfortunately, we’re closing a location and moving to another location. Currently we have a Domino 6.5 server in a DMZ that uses only database functionality. It forwards mail to our exchange environment, and we don’t use many of the other features. It’s running on an archaic HP DL585 G1 running Windows Server 2003. The new platform is a 64 bit Windows 2008 virtual server running on VMware ESX 5.

My questions:

  1. When installing the server, I’m being asked if I should create a new domain or add this server into an existing domain. My thought is that I just add this server into the existing domain (same network…) and migrate the databases to the new server before shutting off the old one.

  2. Is there a best practices document for this process? Any book recommendations? I’ve picked up the popular Survival Guide for Domino 8.

Thank you for your help!

Jeff

2

Subject: experienced advice

I’ve done the exact same upgrade/migration several times. With your level of experience, I would advise a clean cutover instead of a migration. Here’s how:

Schedule downtime for the server. The amount of time will depend on how long it will take you to move a current copy of the files from oldsvr to newsvr.

Install newsvr in advance with whichever setting - it isn’t going to matter, because you’re going to overwrite all those settings with the files from oldsvr.

When the server is down, here’s what you’ll do:

copy all the *.nsf files in \lotus\domino\data from oldsvr to newsvr , including any subfolders and their *.nsf files. Be sure especially that this includes server.id, cert.id, notes.ini, and names.nsf. Those are where all your settings are. None of the files mentioned will overwrite the upgraded Domino software, just settings. Don’t start Domino yet.

Now Shut down oldsvr. Change the IP address on newsvr to be the same IP that oldsvr had. (This is important because if your environment ever referred to the Domino server by IP instead of hostname, your Notes clients have cached that, and it is easier not to change it at this point.)

Bring up newsvr, and start Domino. Watch the Domino console and allow it to index all the databases before having users try to hit the server. This would also be a good time to upgrade the ODS and compact all your dbs, plus there are some other settings I would be checking. But I don’t want to overwhelm you, as a newbie admin to Domino. The above instructions should work just fine and get your users back onto the server with minimal distruption.

If you intend to continue to support Domino, I encourage you to frequent the forum and the many fine Domino blogs, and maybe attend a Domino Admin conference or training to get you started. Read the Admin Help, too. With Domino, there are always useful features you are not aware of…I know I learn something new on a regular basis.

3

Subject: Thank you

:slight_smile: