Folks, I've got a pretty significant EV migration on my plate, and hoping that you can help out... We currently have 2 servers, in the same site, running EV8SP1 in a building blocks configuration. We're doing mailbox archiving only to a Centerra. This Centerra data is being replicated to our second datacenter, and it's read only there. Our plan is to deploy a new EV server in that second datacenter. However, I'm having difficultly in putting all the pieces together. From a high-level overview, I know the replication/read-write setup would need to be reversed, which probably entails closing the existing vault stores and opening new ones. And this new server will have a different name, which adds some complexity. I've seen little tidbits here and there, but does anyone have a comprehensive plan or procedures to pull something like this off? Or am I missing something?

I also cover removing a server from site in this article: https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/how-remove-ev-server-your-site Once you have moved everything over you can then do your data only DR using the Admin Guide and you should be good to go.

Server move/migration

MichelZ
Level 6
16 years ago
Hi Ron

Could you tell us further what you want to do?
Is this secondary datacenter a DR site, or will you be writing to the centera, too there?
What are your goals with this?

Cheers
RonWojnar
Level 3
16 years ago
The end-game of this exercise is to retire the 2 existing servers, and have our entire EV operation running off the new server in the other datacenter. We will be writing to the Centera in the 2nd datacenter going forward.

Is there anything else I can contribute?
MichelZ
Level 6
16 years ago
Do you need any more assistance with this?
If a post solved your problem, can you mark that as the Solution?

Thanks & Regards
Michel
RonWojnar
Level 3
16 years ago
I had several projects take a higher priority, but I'm back onto this again.

Any thoughts on accomplishing my goals?
GCSPT
Level 5
16 years ago
RonWojnar

Really I think you are tredding a high wire trying to plan something as significat as this and using this forum as your main reference point, so just hoping you have other reference material.

As to the move, if I understand correctly. 1 EVSite, 2 EVservers both live just in building blocks so services and tasks and reg settings on 1 server. These have a Vault store on a centera device with a primary in the same GEO as the EVServers and a secondary in the DR Geo.

You are going to create a new EVServer in the DR Geo and join it to the same EVSite using the present Directory computer.

What is the end game you want to end up with? Three EV servers 2 in Primary GEO 1 in secondary DR Geo? or moving all to Secondary DR GEO.

I am just wondering if from an EMC Centera point of view it matters where the secondary and primary Centera nodes are.

If you set up this 3rd EVserver with a vault store does EMC care what EV considers to be primary and secondary, are they not just dumb datastorage. If EV says the present DR node is the primary and EMC can set up replication from present DR Centera Node to the present Primary Centera Node that would make things easier.

Essentially I think you need to tell us what the end game is that you want.
RonWojnar
Level 3
16 years ago
At the end of the day, we want to retire the 2 EV servers in the primary GEO, and have a single EV server in the DR/Secondary GEO running the entire EV operation.

For the record, I don't expect to use the forums as my sole source of knowledge. That said, I figure that someone out there has done this, and can provide tips, tricks and advice.
Liam_Finn1
Level 6
16 years ago
Sounds to me like you need to first stop the building blocks config and move to a single server with your present hardware

Next setup your new server with the same name as the old server and do a Data Only DR to move all the services over to the new server.

If you need to then change the name of the EV server there is a process in the Admin Guide on how to make that change

This will provide you with one server hosting your EV Environment

Regarding the Centera. If you plan on using the Destination Centera as the primary in future and EV is presently aware of the Destination Centera (it holds the .PEA file of the Destination Centera) then when you perform the Data Only DR process as outlined in the Admin guide your new EV server will see both.

I doubt if your Destination Centera is Read only. As long as you have access nodes then it will be read/ write. Have EMC verify that all data in the Centera Pool is consistent between both Centera's. I'm unsure if you can just change replication direction in a Centera. I believe (and I may be wrong) you might have to delete the pool on what is now the Source Centera and restart a new replication process between the Destination and the old Source to reverse the replication.

This is why you first have EMC validate the consistency. If you create a new Pool ( s you mentioned) you will loose any SIS between the present Centera Pool and the new Pool because SIS on a Centera is within a pool and not across pools.
RonWojnar
Level 3
16 years ago
OK, let's start with tearing out the building blocks config. What's the best way to decomission an EV server that's a member of such a config? Moveing responsibility for vault stores, etc?
Liam_Finn1
Level 6
16 years ago
Are the EV servers presently both being used for archiving or are they in an active passive setup where one does all the work and the other is just a backup
RonWojnar
Level 3
16 years ago
Both are currently used for archiving.