knife edge question (SPs)
 

Hi,

I'm currently running 4.1.4 MR4 on my BES, and I need to do a knife edge cutover to transition over to a new server. I understand the basic process, but I have a question. My server is running BES Express, and I will have to run the base install of 4.1, and then install SP4, and then install MR4 patches. The knife edge installation instructions state that I should backup/recover MSDE to the new server before installing BES. But ... my initial install will be 4.1 (i.e. won't have SP4 or MR4), and if I have already recovered the DB, then the DB will be from a newer version than the BES (temporarily). Is this OK? Or should I do an install of BES 4.1, then install the patches, and then recover the DB from the old server (once the versions are in sync)?

Thanks in advance...

If you call RIM you can get a 4.1.4 full install file. You can restore the db first. The installation will not downgrade the db.

I'm not on T-support, so I'm guessing this isn't an option for me? If I stick with 4.1 install plus SP4, plus MR4, then am I still OK with DB restore first, then the installs / patches?

Yup. Just follow the documentation.

You could also do the database restore afterwards, to be perfectly honest. Just stop the BES and SQL services, copy the MDF/LDF files and overwrite the ones created during the installation process on the new server, and restart your services (SQL first, obviously). The only thing a BES installation is doing for you in this process is creating the system tables and some other stuff - the database created can be overwritten once you're up to SP4 (the MR releases won't make database updates, I don't believe).

That makes sense. Do the SRP and CALs all come from the database? Is it possible to do the initial install without entering an SRP (to avoid taking the original BES down, and not have my SRP locked out)? Seems like that would make sense, do the install without an SRP, patch up to the right version, then do the DB backup/restore over the installation DB (recovering the SRP, CALs, and all the config), and I'm (hopefully) up and running...

Bumping this up in hopes of getting an answer...

Thanks in advance!

I decided to go ahead, and did the installation as follows:

1. Stop all services on old BES
2. Backup BESMgmt database on old BES
3. Install 4.1.0 on new BES
4. Install 4.1.4 (SP4) and SP4/MR4 on new BES
5. Stop BES and MSDE on new BES
6. Restore BESMgmt database on new BES
7. Reboot

Pretty much up and running on new server now, with the exception of MDS Connection Services, but I'll post another question on that one...