Upgrade to 8.0 using a second server

[awf]

I am planning on upgrading my Enterprise Vault environment from v7.5 to v8.0. However, I would like to do the upgrade by installing 8.0 on a new server and then migrating the users and EV data on the 7.5 server (indexes, vault stores and SQL) to the new server. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I would like the new server to be a Windows 2008 virtual server (running on ESX) and second, we have a recently installed SAN that I would like to leverage for all of the volumes. My general plan is to do the following steps:

1. Build a new EV 8.0 server and add it to the current site.
2. Move over all of my users (approx. 200) to the new server.
3. Move the indexes, vault store partitions and SQL databases to the new server
4. Remove the original server from the site.

I was wondering if anyone has been successful implementing a similar upgrade plan or has any additional information reagrding this process that I might not have considered. My current environment, and the one I want to upgrade to, are listed below. Thanks.

Current Environment

- Enterprise Vault 2007 (7.5)
- Single site with one physical Windows 2003 server
- SQL 2005 installed locally on the Vault server
- Archiving Exchange 2007
- Outlook 2003 on EV server

Proposed Environment

- Enterprise Vault 8.0
- Single site with one VMWare virtual Windows 2008 server, 32-bit
- SQL 2005 installed locally on the Vault server
- Archiving Exchange 2007
- Outlook 2003 on EV server

[Liam_Finn1]

I dont think this will work.

When you install EV8 and point to to the same site name and SQL server it will upgrade the databases to EV 8.0 and that may cause you issues.

I think your two best options are

Option 1
Upgrade the present environment and then add the new VM then move all the data to the new

Option 2
Install the second server into the same version you have now then move the data and finally decommission the first server.

Option 3
Since you are going to ESX why dont you just use the VM tool to convert the present server to a VM then mount that in ESX and upgrade it

Option 3 is the way i would go it would be the fastest option.

[Liam_Finn1]

Here is the link to the VM tool

http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/

1. Have your ESXI box running on the network.
2. Install this on the physical server to be converted to VM:
http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/
Its free...

3. Run 'converter' on the physical server. Choose 'This local server' as the source, and then the IP address, root login & password for the ESXI box you want to send the vm to.

Depending on the size of the physical server, it will take some time.
The 'converter' program will run on the physical server and copy block by block the hard drive(s) over to the running ESXI on the network as a new VM within ESXI.

4. After the conversion is done, Power off the physical server and log into ESXI & power on the new VM.
Keep your old physical server around for a while just in case.

You will have to re-activate windows as it now detects new hardware.
Pull up the activation window and choose to activate by phone. Tell the person your talking to that you have just converted a physical machine to VM and you need to re-activate.
They will give you a new key.
Microsoft doesnt care if you remove a system from 1 machine and install on another, as long as your not over using your license.

Microsoft Windows virtualization licensing rules (summed up very briefly) are as follows:

Windows Server 2003/2008 Standard Ed. - 1 VMs licensed per physical server
Windows Server 2003/2008 Enteprise Ed. - 4 VMs licensed per physical server
Windows Server 2003/2008 Datacenter Ed. - unlimited VMs licensed per physical server (licensed per physical CPU socket on the host)

And the usual downgrade rights apply.

So if you install 2003 server on a physical machine, you can only do it 1 time. If your installing on a VM, you can use the same key 4 times if you have an Enterprise license.

(Some one might chime in here if I'm off on licensing.)

[Wayne_Humphrey]

To be honest if you use p2v, which I have used on many accessions (none 100% successful imo), if you run into any EV issues, not that I can see why but support might not be so willing to lend a hand.

If i was you i would upgrade your current server to v8 then do a DR to the new server.

So if i was you I would stay away from p2v, 1) cheaper 2) safer :>

--me

[awf]

Thanks for the replies. I 'm going to do as suggested and upgrade my current W2K3 server to v8.0 - although I'll skip the P2V because I ultimately want the v8.0 server to be W2K8.So, after the upgrade, I'll build a new W2K8 server, install 8.0 and then follow the steps in the following KB: http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/293911.htm.

Anything I'm missing?

[AndrewB]

Mr. awf,

We are planning to go through the same process as you. I consulted with our Symantec Sr. Product Manager and he said to do the EV upgrade on the old server, build the new server and then migrate the data.

[Wayne_Humphrey]

and what did i say?