Setup New Domino Server

[Gigi123456]

Hi everybody ,
i have to install a new server Domino ( and scratch the old one ) which will contain all my existing database . The question is : is it better to mantain the same name and notes.ini or is it better to reinstall a fresh one ?
I know that my question is posted too simply but each your advice will be useful
thanks
Gigi

 

[pmonett]

I'm not an admin, just a developer. However, as you state that the old server is to be destroyed, I would think that it would be better to make a clean install (ie delete ALL files pertaining to the old install).
So I would delete the notes.ini file, without a doubt. That file is, after all, nothing but a parameter storage area that can easily be recreated.
More important is the notion of server name. That depends on the id file of the server, defined at creation time. I cannot say whether it is a good idea or not to keep the same name. Technically I doubt it has any importance. This is more of a political issue, depending on the naming scheme you wish to implement.

But that's just my opinion.

What is fact, though, is that your databases will have to be resigned on the new server, whatever it is. And you might need to check your ACLs and make sure that LocalDomainServers is Manager on them. In that sense, keeping the same server name could eventually provide for easier installation, if the server name has been defined as admin server for the databases. I believe that the admin server is defined by the canonical name ; if that is true, and if you keep the same name, then you have an immediatly functional installation.

Hope this helps.

Pascal.

 

[Guy987]

I hate to differ...

If you are rebuilding a server from scratch, save all of your databases, save your id files for at leaset the admin and save your cert.id file. If you are going to re-install the same version of Notes, save everything in your data folder to be exact.

Re-install the server software. Before launching the server for the first time, copy the information from your data folder back into the data directory.

If you saved notes.ini, copy if back to the directory before data, ie. notes or Lotus\domino.

Now then. If you are trying to get to run the setup program, launch the server. If you are not, delete setup.nsf from the directory, then launch the domino server.

In doing this, you can move Domino from one machine to another, or from one OS to another without having to resetup or re-sign the datebases.

What was suggested in the earlier post could cause you a great deal of pain, especially if you just arbitrarily change the server name. You could do it by registering another server id, but if you are going to do that, then I would simply set up the new server with the new ID, replicate the databases, move the users, then decomission the old server (Read the help file on doing this). If you are not going to leave the old server in production, you are not going to have any licensing issues in doing this.

If you are moving to a new OS, IE, NT to W2K, I would suggest moving and re-installing with the old version of the software, and then upgrading the server to the proper release AFTER you have confirmed that you can bring it up. If this is your case, remember that anything less than 5.0.7a does not run properly on w2k (it will run, just very slowly and you will have other issues that creep up the longer the server is up.), in fact, you really need to just move all the way up to 5.0.11

 

[pmonett]

I beg to clarify.
I never suggested just changing the name of the server. I am not an Admin, but I am not that stupid either. I did use the words "make a clean install".
Creating a new server, for me, means either keeping the ID and certs of the old one, or making an entirely new one, either in the domain or in a new domain. If you are creating a new server, you can still give it the same name as the old one at creation time.
Concerning the applications, you are right to insist that they should be backed up. Indeed, saying that one should delete ALL data from the old server is confusing. I was thinking of the server data, not the applications, but it was not clear enough.

 

[Guy987]

I did not try to imply you were stupid, nor did I state that.

What I did state that you should not arbitrarily change the name of a server, ie. if there is not a need to do so (domain change, name scheme change, etc.), then why would you do it?

If you are going to change the name of the server, then you should create a new ID, but - even according to Lotus, you should set up the new server with the new ID, replicate everthing, use the system (AdminP) to move the mail files to the new server, push out the new location document to all of the users and start the decomission server process for the old server. Do it any other way and you may get to visit every single workstation in your organization to fix your mistakes.

What I read into the message, perhaps too much reading into the message, is that GiGi is planning to move from one server to another. If everything stays the status quo after moving - no domain name change, no name scheme change - then setup serverB with the same version, down serverA, copy all of the data directory from serverA to serverB, copy the notes.ini file, the id files to the proper location on serverB, delete setup.nsf and bring up serverB to make certain it works, then do your Domino version upgrades. You need the old notes.ini file if you are not going to let it run the setup.

If the domain is the same and the server is the same name, then why would you want to recreate the server name on setup?

If you changed Domains, you're going to have to recertify and resign everything anyway and you will probably wind up having to cross certify with your old Domain to make certain you don't have issues.

Sorry your mad about this.

Leo L'Homme, PCLP

 

[pmonett]

Whoah there ! Who said anything about mad ? We're having a discussion and that's all there is to it.
I did say I am not an admin, and I was just giving my input based on my knowledge.
You are obviously an admin, and perfectly right to give more detailed info, to which you will have noted that I subscribed to for the most part. If you had answered first, I wouldn't have had anything to say.

So, friends ?

 

[Guy987]

No problem.