[Aarzel]

Hi all,

Since over a year I learned a lot about BES from this forum. So I hope you guys can help me out on this issue too, because I'm pretty stuck.

We have a 4.1.7 BES server running on Domino 7. The Domino server however, is also used as a mailserver. Since this is an old configuration, we would like to upgrade everything. However, due to circumstances, we have chosen to move the BES to another Domino server, version 8.5.1, running on Windows 2008 64 bit. I know it's not supported, but as a temporary step, we would like to move the BES server to this new Domino server, and see if this works. If it works, we can keep this config and plan the upgrade to BES 5.

I know how to do a migration to a new hardware, if hostnames, IP-addresses and such are kept. But now they want to give the BES server a new hostname, a new Domino name and a new IP-address.

My question is, if I migrate the server, and use a backup of the original SQL (MSDE) database (which is installed locally on the BES server), what do I have to update so the BES server is running on the server with new dns-names? Is that possible? And do I have to reactivate my devices?

This migration path is not my choice, but I am the one who has to execute it. And I really don't know where to update it, and if it's possible. And to make matters worse, I have to do it tomorrow morning.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[raindownsugar]

As far as I know the devices are un-aware of the DNS name of the server. Seems like your biggest issue is the migration of the SRP. But I'm coming from a GroupWise shop and we run our BESs on their own boxes.

[Aarzel]

Thanks for your fast reply. But if I look in the Blackberry Manager of the existing BES server, I see that for the BES Alert or the MDS Integration Service, the hostname is specified. I can change it for the BES Alert, but not for the MDS Integration Service. But the problem is that I don't know where I have to update everything, and if that is sufficient to let my "new" BES server to be operational. If everything is updated automatically, I do indeed have no problem. But I'm not sure of it.

[raindownsugar]

Seems like once you brought up the new BES instance with the db (obviously with old one down) you'd just need to resend policy to devices to jive with the new instance. But I'm off in theoretical land here. Might be a good idea to check with RIM.

[Aarzel]

Hmmm, I just find out that if I can keep the Blackberry server logical name the same, I won't experience any issues. But on domino, that's the same as the Domino server name, am I right?

[noname]

Asrzel, your situation is like a BES server cutover.

I hope you have not done anything as it will be a disaster. If you do cutover to a new hardware with DIFFERENT hostname and Domino server, you are going to end up in what's documented in KB05264 and all things stop working.

Title: Cutover results in two instances of BlackBerry Enterprise Server in BlackBerry Manager
Number: KB05264
Link: KB05264 - View Document

Basically you will need to modify several config tables in the BESMgmt database BEFORE you start BES on the newly cutover box. In order to know what to modify, you need to understand that Domino BES has a composite key that identify a server:-

(1) Hostname = MachineName
(2) Domino Servername = ServiceName

With that in mind, once you have installed Domino and BES, DO NOT start anything yet. Restore the BESMgmt database and follow the UPDATE SQL commands in KB04261 to update the NEW host name and Domino servername. To be safe, edit NOTES.INI and remove the "BES" from the "ServerTasks=" entry.

Title: How to perform a cutover to another BlackBerry Enterprise Server instance in an IBM Lotus Domino environment
Number: KB04261
Link: KB04261 - View Document

Once all the UPDATE commands are performed, verify one more time through all the config tables i.e.

(1) ServerConfig
(2) MDSConfig
(3) IMConfig

Good luck!

[Aarzel]

Hi noname,

Thank you for the very constructive reply. Luckily for me, I had foreseen this, and I have kept the 2 servers separate. I encountered a lot of problems, so the move didn't succeed. I now started the old one again, and everything is working fine.

Because I'm leaving on holiday tomorrow, I can't follow this up. But maybe I will get back to this when I return.

Thank you.