Migrating and upgrading Networker Server and Console

Well, first things first. Migration and upgrading both should be performed by Dell EMC Professional Services team.

However, if you are migrating or upgrading your NetWorker environment on your own. Please do take a backup/copy of your /nsr/res, /nsr/mm and /nsr/index folders after stopping all NetWorker services. This helps while backing out.

You will have to attach the devices which were configured with your old environment to perform bootstrap and index restores. We cannot copy the directories as is and it's not supported.

If you rely on Professional Services team, they will have some scripts/automated procedures which will make the migration /upgrade faster and also ensures that your environment is in consistent and working state.

Migrating a NW server is not a big issue ... if you know what you are doing (as always). If not, you better rely on PS.

Using a NW server without backup device is not possible as at least the bootstrap must be saved here.

The most important detail is that you must use the same hostname and install path.

This also means that you must rename the old server later. But it is just the SN.

So if you want to try it yourself, here is my coarse guideline:

  On the existing server,

     - create a local backup device (AFTD). If you do not have one you need a temp enabler (from the Licensing Guide).

     - Make sure that you have (cloned) an up-to-date bootstrap on the device/media

  On the new - isolated - server,

     - Install NW (same version) in the same directory.

     - create the (AFTD) backup device

     - copy the content of your old media directory

     - scan for the bootstrap SSID

     - run mmrecov/nsrdr

     - wait for everything to come up - it will take a while as NW will check the client connectivity

     - make sure that you see all the save sets (mminfo -aX)

     - update to the latest version (verify if you can directly update to the latest one)

   You are lucky that you can test this as the server is not in production yet.

Finally,

  - stop the old server and replace it with the new one.

  - verify that all is running.

  - request and enter new auth codes.

  - rename the old server (and update to the same OS/NW version)

  - perform the missing configuration steps (at least for the new storage node)

Good luck.

To answer your questions in short:

Can we directly install 8.2.3 in the new server? ==> NO

Or it is better install the same versión 8.0.1 in the new server and then upgrade it? ==> This should be the path

We need to recover bootstrap, index clients and NMC database in the new server. ==> I would recommend use nsrdr which also lets you recover indexes which will be required in your case. Please take a full Bootstrap and Index backup for this migration and use the same.

As the new server will not have any device attached, we cannot recover them from a backup device. ==> What is the device it is writing as of today? If DD devices, then same device can be mounted to new server make sure you uncheck label option while creating same devices on new server. If writing on Tapes then all you have to do is present that library to new server and mount the tape which holds Bootstrap and Index backup for recovery.

Can we copy the directories with the databases from the old server to the new one? Is it a supported procedure? ==> Big NO

Hope this helps!!!!

All the best for migration

Thanks all for your help.

For the NMC database, is a supported procedure to copy the 3 database files or it is necesary to recover this database from backup?

I will recommend restore. Copy paste is not a good practice!!!

Hi,

We have a doubt.

When we will recover the res directory in the new server, the Capacity Licenses we have will be invalid because the hostid will change.

Do you know if there are evaluation enablers for Networker Source Capacity Data Zone ?

We can only know the hostid of the new server the same day of the migration.

On fresh installation you get 45 days of time to avail transfer of license. New server will be valid till 45 days and another 15 days of grace period can be added to it. That should be enough time to claim required license.

temp enabler are given in this guide,have a check if that helps you:

https://www.emc.com/collateral/TechnicalDocument/docu61087.pdf

If you have reserved box for this, you can know it upfront.  If not, you can do host transfer online.

You will have to install NetWorker on the new host and then check host id using below command on Windows box

nsrlic -p | findstr "host id"

How can I know the hostid that Networker will use in a Windows Server?