Networker 7.6.2 - Changing Domain

Question

Hi All,

I'm working on a project to migrate a 7.6.2 networker environment (1 server, 2 storage nodes, about 150 clients, all windows for OS) from one domain to another.

So we're going from machinename.companyA.com to machinename.companyB.com for machine server in the environment.

All clients are created using their fully qualified domain names in networker.

I'm not too worried about switching the server and storage nodes over. I am, however, worried about the clients. I seem to remember reading somewhere that FQDN makes up part of the client ID in networker. (never mind the simple fact that the server trying to contact a client by its old machinename.companyA.com name will just simply fail after the cutover)

As well, the difficulty on this is twofold:

1) All backed-up data from before the domain name change must be recoverable.

2) There' can't be more than one night's worth of missed backups.

With that in mind, what sort of procedure should I follow to migrate clients over, to ensure both consistency and recoverability of data?

Or am I overthinking this?

I know to change a client name, it's mentioned in the admin guide by recording the clientid, recreating the client from oldclient.domain.com to newclient.domain.com, and making sure the old clientid is brought over. Would this work for changing the domain as well? The same client ID would ensure that all previous data is recoverable?

Thoughts and constructive suggestions appreciated.

ble1 · Accepted Answer

I would worry more about the server to be honest (that's the reason why if running on Windows I never place server into domain), but there are articles on PL which deal with that. Clients itself are easy and I do this on regular basis (not because my domain changes, but sometimes name of the client does, but since I use FQDN it comes to same procedure).

1. Make sure to have list of current_client_name,clientid (use mminfo)

2. Remove current_client_name from NW (NSR client reference)

3. Create new_client_name using new name and clientid from the old one

4. Stop NW server

5. Delete /nsr/index/new_client_name and do mv current_client_name new_client_name

6. Start NW server

That's it.

Depending on number of clients where this will be done (in phases or big bang) you may wish to script this.

Holger_Inf · Answer

Hi Hrvoje,

you are funny. Renaming the server can be done manually, is well documented and he wrote, that he has

no worry about it. If he know how to this is really done easily (I know, that he need to rename the server

twice, because he can not delete the client ressource of the backup server itself).

Also, your description how to rename the index directory is old stuff. If you delete a client and recreate

it with same client id networker recognize this, ask you if you want to rename the client and do this

index movement without manual intervention. When did you do such a renaming last time? With 6.2?

But: he want to rename 150 Clients, (this could be 450 client definitions, if he has the clients defined

in different groups and with different savesets).

Hrvoje, how do you delete and recreate (with client ID) these clients manually? In a way, that all relevant

parameter like browse/retention, aplication information, backup command, directive ... are the same

again as before? For 150 clients?

I suggest to script this. At least the recreation of the correct client definitions with the parms.

First step use nsradmin to get a complete list of all client definitions with all parameter. Transform them

in a form that can be used as input script. I am sorry, I have no script available to do this.

Test the input script on a test server

Now you can delete all the client definitions and recreate them from GUI with client-id, with 450 ok-clicks

(create, write the name, switch to client-id, put it in, click okay, click okay on rename, click okay again

and wait for the GUI....)

It is possible to create a client definition by nsradmin too, but I do not know, if the rename process

is the same as if done from the GUI. I suggest to test this. If this is working he could create these 150

clients by script and later create all correct defintions from his files created in the first step.

ble1 · Answer

Hi Holger,

you are funny. Renaming the server can be done manually, is well documented and he wrote, that he has
no worry about it. If he know how to this is really done easily (I know, that he need to rename the server
twice, because he can not delete the client ressource of the backup server itself).

That's exactly why I said I would worry more. The renaming procedure is also present in docs and my personal belief is that person who asked never did that before. Procedure of renaming server twice as such, in my own experience, has got some customers into trouble unless they have been aware of it very well ahead and usually would figure out something was wrong a bit too late. To experienced person perhaps that is funny, but my understanding is this is not the case here.

Also, your description how to rename the index directory is old stuff. If you delete a client and recreate
it with same client id networker recognize this, ask you if you want to rename the client and do this
index movement without manual intervention. When did you do such a renaming last time? With 6.2?

Actually I do this on random basis using 7.5.x version which I run in production under HPUX. I certainly didn't see this automated by NetWorker. If it is, that would be welcome change. In what version and on what platforms is this present?

But: he want to rename 150 Clients, (this could be 450 client definitions, if he has the clients defined
in different groups and with different savesets).
Hrvoje, how do you delete and recreate (with client ID) these clients manually? In a way, that all relevant
parameter like browse/retention, aplication information, backup command, directive ... are the same
again as before? For 150 clients?

With the script. nsradmin will do the trick here. If you have multiple instances for the same client, what I usually do is to create first in first run basic client definition (in my case that would be fs backup) which is used to rename client with you client id. In second run I define remaining definitions and there is no need to clientid any longer as NW uses one which is already defined in first phase.

bedwards2 · Answer

Thanks for the answers on this. Obviously there's a lot to think about both from the client and the server perspectives here.

DeaconZ28-2015 · Answer

It would be nice if EMC developers could write some scripts to accomplish tasks like this. Similar to how Microsoft includes tons of helpful scripts with Exchange 2010.

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Networker 7.6.2 - Changing Domain

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