Moving Call Manager --> New Servers 1

[snootalope]

Hey guys!

I got a migration comming up here shortly that involves returing our currently leased servers for new ones. So, I'm looking into how I can move my current publisher and subscriber, BOTH, no new machines and still retain all my user /environment information.

I'm almost certain it's just a matter of copying the db's over, but i can't find anything on Cisco's web site about migrating. Does any know where I can find a white sheet on this, or if you've done this before, how'd ya pull it!??

Also, I have a Unity server that also needs to be moved to a new machine. Thanks for any help guys!!!

FYI: don't know if this is a huge deal, but when we move our stuff over, our new server will be CCM 4.0 instead of our current 3.3(3) --- thanks again!

 

[snootalope]

Tina, thank you for the email! I've read through it a couple of times and it all looks like something I can follow, except I don't see anywhere that you 'moved' your subscribers from one Unity box to the other. Did you do this?

I'm currently rummiging through cisco site again looking for a white sheet on moving Unity data from one server to another.. do you know where it's at by chance? The TAC case I had open for this just ended. I told the guy I just needed to ask a few questions throughout my upgrage and he said fine...well, two emails later, he tells me HE'S closing the case without my request to do so!!?!?! what is it with those people?!

 

[jerake75]

Since our Exchange server is off-box, we kept our AD accounts and Exchange mailboxes, but wiped out our Unity subscribers (held on the Unity box itself) with the reinstall. Running the Uninstall Unity utility, listed in that email, removes the Unity properties from your AD accounts and Exchange mailboxes, so you can safely reimport them in to Unity.

After the install, we used the Bulk Import utility to reimport our Unity subcribers via *.csv file; the import "reattached" the newly imported Unity subcribers to their existing AD accounts and Exchange mailboxes. It's a fairly simple thing to wipe out your Unity subscribers, as long as you still have the AD accounts and/or mailbox stores existing somewhere else. Having everything on-box might be a little tougher to maneuver...

TAC has done that to me before, drives me insane. I have no idea who's running the show over there, but it's one crappy show lately.

TMH

 

[jerake75]

Couple of other things, while I'm thinking about it:

You know what helped me most was creating a test Unity box. I snagged two extra PC's (just a Dell GX240 and a GX270) and set up a test Unity and test Exchange box, mirroring our setup. Our Exchange box runs it's own DNS server, is our domain controller, and Unity is a member server in that domain (we're a Novell shop for everything else, so we have very few Windows domains).

I ran the installation procedure over and over again until I nailed down all the details, which I sent to you in that email. The Unity CD's come with a two-port, 10 mailbox license, so I just installed that one to get it up and running (can't put on the production license file, since it's tied to the MAC addy of the NIC in the Unity server). The first few times I ran the installation, I did hit a few snags, but better to find them out on a test box that you can easily destroy than during the production install, right?

TMH

 

[snootalope]

ok, so we have this USB dongle and that holds our production license file right (holds the port and subscriber lincenses)? So, when I setup the new Unity box, do I keep that dongle connected the whole time during setup and have setup find it, or is it something that comes afterwards? I see in your notes that you "added the license file from a floppy disk" Should I have a floppy disk license or is that dongle my key for that?

You have no idea how much you're helping me here....seriously. I'm gonna have to buy ya a beer (or whatever your flavor is) after this is all done..

 

[jerake75]

Hehe no problem, I'm glad to help. I just don't like to see TAC jack people around, especially when it comes to detailed installations such as Unity...so much could have gone wrong with our installation if I hadn't been so persistent (read: threw major temper tantrums) with TAC.

Glad you reminded me about the license file - and this is the fun part - the USB dongle is no more, they switched to FlexLM licensing. What you'll have to do is...if I remember correctly...contact TAC and tell them you need a license file for your Unity server. Oh, now I remember - you have to go here:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_qanda_item09186a008011a6c5.shtml

About the third question down is a URL you'll have to go to to request a FlexLM license file. It's pretty simple; after you fill out the form, TAC emails you the license file. The entire shouldn't take long to complete, not more than a few days. I put mine on a floppy for the Unity install. After you receive the license file, open it up in a text editor and make sure everything is correct; I went through a six-month battle with them over licensed features, but that is a story for another day...

TMH

 

[snootalope]

Well, we're using 4.0(2) right now on Unity, and that's staying the same.. So our dongle is currently working with that. I'm not gonna mess with it if I don't have to.

But, it looks like that dongle is in a way 'tied' with the MAC addy of the nic in my Unity server. if that's the case, i'll have to do something on the new server so that dongle likes the new MAC. I'm thinking I should wait till I get the new server, then fill out that form with the new servers MAC addy.

But....on to a new setup of problems!!! yeah!!

I have no clue where this stuff is:
•The product authorization key (PAK) in the Cisco Unity compact disc wallet

•The serial number of the currently installed system key

•The currently installed system key code

Neither does the Officer of out IT department! ha ha ha!! this nitemare is just not going to end is it!?!? and I haven't even got to the fun part yet!!! (so much for my new years resolution of quiting smoking)

 

[snootalope]

Hey! I found two of the items! Just gotta find the PAK that comes with the Unity booklet.. I got the install CD's, just no booklet.

How is it that i'm runnig 4.x right now with that dongle? shouldn't that be in a file?

 

[jerake75]

Wow! You're running 4.X with a dongle?!?...Hmmm...you know, if you're running 4.x, you may already have a FlexLM license file on the server. You can to the Tools Depot and run the License Viewer, I think it's called, and see if you have a flex license installed...I know there used to be a way to dump the license info into a file, but I could be thinking of 3.1.5...wow, this is intriguing! Let me dig around and see what I can come up with on this...

And I'll have a smoke on your account (my smoking has gone up since we put Unity in)...

TMH

 

[jerake75]

Ohhh this is what may have happened:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_qanda_item09186a0080094ce5.shtml#q7

Did you have any earlier version of Unity before 4.0.2? Sounds like you did, and just received a text file upgrade for the dongle. Didn't know you could do that; either way, it will definitely be easier for you to get the license file from Cisco and get rid of the dongle on the new server...at least, that's the first thing I think of.

TMH

 

[jerake75]

Let me clarify: if you use the dongle on the new install, the drivers are notorious for not installing correctly or just plain not working (that happened to us on our 3.1.5 box). The FlexLM license file is so much easier, and no drivers involved.

TMH

 

[snootalope]

What a shocker, you're right again! how do you it?!?!

I opened the Unity Tools depot and ran the License Viewer. Sure enough, there are my licenses! But, it doesn't say anything about FlexLM.

All I see are things like:

LicBridgeSessionsMax
LicSubscibersMax
LicVoicePortMax
LicMaxMsgRecLenIsLicesed

they all look like little key's.. Is this Flex?

Anyway, the officer here seems to remember something about a text file we got from Cisco...i'm checking into it right now.

So, either way I'll have to contact Cisco to get a new license file right? Or, do you suppose it's as easy as export it back into a text file and move er' on over.... ??? i'll see what I can find.

 

[jerake75]

Yep, if you see those little keys, you've been given a FlexLM license. But, from what I can tell and what I've read, there's no way to dump the file in 4.x like there was in 3.X (it was called Key Dump).

On a new install of Unity, I think you'd be much, much better off contacting Cisco and getting a new license file...then again, I have no idea exactly what's entailed in a dongle upgrade text file; you might want to talk to Cisco about that. You'll have to provide them with the MAC addy of your NIC in your Unity server (if they don't already have it). I'd ask Cisco, though, if that text file they sent you is a "full" license file, or if it needs the dongle to work...that's the only question I have on that.

That's something I'd really push them on, a full FlexLM license key - you don't want to get through the entire installation and find out the license key they gave you doesn't work...then you'd be totally screwed until Cisco sorts it out. Better to fight the fight now and get the correct information...I fought with Cisco for six months on a license issue, as I mentioned earlier...I ended up postponing the Unity installation three times (!), but in the end the install went great.

 

[snootalope]

I'll open another TAC case then and get someone to answer my two questions before they dump me again!!

Hey, in that tools depot, right in front of the Lincese Viewer, there's a Key Dump application... I open it and do a Save As and it just saves an empty file to my desktop I'll get ahold of TAC. (i kind of hope it's the same guy i talked to before so i can ask him why he closed my case, I paid for the contracts damnit!)

 

[jerake75]

It's sad, but you have to lose your cool before TAC will do anything about what they consider to be a "non-issue," which is what I suspect is happening with your early case closure. That's happened to me a great deal also.

I tried that KeyDump application; I got the same result, empty file. I'm pretty sure that's only for use with Unity 3.x...

TMH

 

[jerake75]

Hey, just an FYI: got an email from Cisco, they're getting ready to take CCM 4.1.2 off new product hold; this means if you order it after they take it off, you won't have to go through the entire ordeal of filling out that New Product Hold release form. They didn't say when they'd be taking it off, but it has to be early next month, if I were to hazard a guess.

Tina

 

[snootalope]

Just about ready to get going here and I'm feeling much more confident now.....for some reason I don't know 8-/

anyway, I wanted to ask you if you join your call managers to your primary domain? Like you have all your web/file/app servers for your end users, do you put your ccm's in that same domain name or do you keep them seperate?

 

[jerake75]

We keep them separate; they're in their own workgroup. This was more my decision than anything else; Cisco recommends that you do not put them in a domain, but you can if you want to (or, have a very good reason to). The reason they tell you not to add them to a domain is: if you have any security policies on your domain, they may affect the CCM's inadvertently.

This is an ongoing debate with a lot of ppl...I choose not to put them in our domain, and they seem, well, happier in a workgroup.

Tina

 

[snootalope]

I guess i'd like to join the domain pretty much for security reasons and also to keep the time the same on both the phones and the computers...

Also, crazy question, but do you have to license the call managers once the software's installed? This whole time I haven't noticed any of the documentation talking about license keys or something of that nature... what gives???

 

[jerake75]

Well, I'll tell you...as far as the domain thing...I had to fight to get the admin guys to pull them out of the domain, because they had some security policy that was messing up the replication something fierce...plus, just keep in mind that whenever you upgrade your CCM software, you'll have to pull them back out of the domain into a workgroup before you upgrade (that's a Cisco requirement).

The only license key you'll need for the CCM install is the one for the OS (and it's asked for during the CCM installation, I believe). But that license key can be found on the front of the manuals that come with the software. It's pretty commonly known, you can easily find it on the Cisco forums (I'm not in front of my desk, otherwise I'd just post it). The key only works with CCM OS images (it's been the same key since CCM 3.1, the version we started with).

As far as other licensing, each server model has its own limit as to how many phones/devices/etc. it can support, as well as total number of devices in a cluster. Those can be found in the SRND, I believe, for CCM (I our servers can support up to 2500 devices). Let me see if I can find a link to the SRND for you. When you purchase phones, any quote from any decent vendor will include the price for a single-user license for every phone you order, so that takes care of the licensing per phones. Hope that makes sense.

TMH

 

[jerake75]

Here's a good discussion on the whole domain thing:

http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servl...Cmd=MB?cmd=display_location&location=.ee96c6e

The Cisco CallManager Best Practices Guide (great book, btw) has more specifics:

"...Issues within domain participation arise during installations or upgrades.

Most of the issues revolve around domain policies, such as password aging and system access policies. For example, if the domain policy is to change passwords every 30 days, and in this cycle the administrator password is changed, it's very possible that the CallManager services will not start on a reboot."

So, positive/negative on both sides; I've seen some real good arguments for both. Since we're a 99.9% Novell shop, and only have the one domain that our Unity and Exchange servers are in (they're required to be in a domain) there's no real need for us to add the CCM's to it.

TMH