[maynard01]

Good morning,

This is my first time posting here so I am sure I will leave out some information that is needed but here go's.

I want to take our BES environment to 4.1. We currently have a 3.6 server in production. I have a new 4.1 server that I want to add to the 3.6 environment. I have found the Database Connectivity area in the 4.1 server. I have read that I will need to redirect my 4.1 server to the DB the 3.6 server is using. My main question is when I do that what can I expect to happen? Also, are there things I need to do before that happens to prepare the 3.6 DB?

FYI - I have the 4.1 server up and working with a few test users. That information can be wiped so its not a DB merge it's just an upgrade. I want to do this to make the migration of users easier since they would be listed in the same Blackberry domain.

Thanks in advance.

[knottyrope]

The database are not compatable.

you have to upgrade the 3.6 server to 4.0.7 first and then upgrade it to 4.1.

Are you using remote SQL or MSDE?

[maynard01]

SQL.

So should I just take the old 3.6 to 4.1 then add the new server to the envrionment afterwards? Or is there something special about 4.0.7?

[knottyrope]

I have heard people have better luck doing it that way.

[Frank Castle]

I lived through this and after weighing the options I just removed the user and then added and issued a EAP via email.

The hardest part at the time was I first had a # of devices (as in hundreds) that didn't have OS 4.0+. If most of your devices are newer I would do what I outlined having the user wipe their device and then activate against the new server.

[dodgydane]

I've done this before and I did the following:
Made sure 3.6 had the latest service pack
Upgraded to 4.1
(must admit I can't remember if I brought it up to 4.0 first)
Then installed 4.1 on new box.....connected to the same SQL database
Then in BB manager just moved the user.
I was surprised at how beautiful it worked moving users between the BES

Just make sure that if you have 2 live BES you need 2 different SRP ID's....can't use the same.....!!!!

[maynard01]

Yes, I caught that I needed two SRPs and was able to get what I needed.

How difficult was the 3.6 to 4.1 inplace upgrade? What kind of gotchas came up?

[knottyrope]

SQL reboot will happen IIRC.

[dodgydane]

Yeah I saw afterwards that you said that you had already installed the 4.1
I seem to not be reading the posts properly today...oops....

I had no problems with the upgrade...luckily.....
But I know people who have upgraded with the administrator account instead of the BESadmin account and then it stopped working.
Or they have upgraded to a new version without bringing the old version up to the latest service pack....and that messed it up...

[maynard01]

Does anyone know what the lowest BB OS version is that will work with BES 4.1.6? I've not been able to find a document that states that.

I think we may have a couple older devices. If I do an inplace upgrade of the current server I would hate to knock them offline.

[knottyrope]

Almost any will, but some functionality will be lost.

[maynard01]

We can deal with that. Just as long as email keeps rolling we'll be good.