UPGRADE 4.X to 7.x HELP

[mintyfreshness23]

Thank you for taking the time to help! I have been looking at most of the threads here and they have been very helpful.

However, I am still a little confuse on some issues. I have 2 options and please let me know which one is the easiest and would work best.

Currently have Call Manager 4.3 and the company wants to upgrade to 7.1. If we use the same hardware would there be any issues with licensing?

If we have new servers how hard would it be to have all the data transfered over? Which one is the fastest to go and the easiest?

Thank you!

 

[HmmG3]

When it comes to licensing, it doesn't matter which option you use. Basically when you fill out the form on Cisco's web site, you enter the publisher's MAC address and it spits out a license that lets the CallManager 7 software run on that particular server.

If you can, replace the server when you upgrade. Doing it that way means you don't have to wipe the old server and install the CallManager 7 system. Simply run the DMA tool and power down the old server. Then bring up the new server, start the software install, import the DMA config and install the new license. If anything goes wrong, just power down the new server and bring up the old one.

What hardware are you running? If it's running 4.3, it's probably pretty old and may not support CallManager 8 and up. So if you want to keep upgrading in the future, new hardware will probably be required, so you might as well do it now. If you decide to change the hardware later after going to CallManager 7, you have to contact Cisco for them to reissue you new licensing that would be valid on new hardware.

 

[whykap]

I highly suggest you involve a vendor to assist with upgrade unless you know exactly what you are doing.
From the questions above I don't think you understand what is involved. All the advice here will not get you the help you need to do that. It is a complicated upgrade and you need to be intimate with the procedure.
Most customers that have tried this themselves have ended up getting help afterwards, costing them more in downtime and services. Not to mention the job of the person who suggested they can this on their own.
You will need new licensing and surely new servers. You need to go to version 8.6 which is the latest or you'll be messing with this again in the future.

 

[HmmG3]

Keep in mind there's no way to go directly from 4.3 to 8.x. The highest you can go from 4.3 in a single step is 7.1. Assuming new hardware is used, then going from 7.1 to 8.6 in the future won't be that big of a deal (at least on the CallManager front).

However I do agree, knowledge is key here. If somebody doesn't have a solid understanding of all the steps involved and worked out how the upgrades effect all other connected systems (such as gateways, phones, voice mail, and so on), then they should not tackle an upgrade on their own.

 

[mintyfreshness23]

Great points...Most likely we are upgrading to new servers. We will be upgrading to 7.1 for now and definitely in the future will upgrade to the latest and greatest 8.6.

We do have our current maintenance guy who is a VOIP guy, but not as confident when I talk to him. I have some experience with VOIP too, it's why I go on this forum and have these advice from the experts.

Thank you for the suggestions! Does the DMA tool require extra steps? and how long would that take through an FTP server?

 

[mintyfreshness23]

If you have a the 7.1 software and new servers...the DMA should do to transfer the data to the new servers right?

The liscensing is being matched through the vendor with cisco, so that shouldn't have much of a problem right?

Thanks again for the input.

 

[whykap]

here you go:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/dma/7_1_2/dmaug712.html

The license will be issued after running the DMA tool on the current pub. TAC needs that file to issue the new license.

 

[mintyfreshness23]

Thanks for the link whykap and thanks for the suggestions HmmG3!

From the previous post...we are actually having two new servers.

So, from the suggestions above:

Save the current data on an FTP server.

Then on the current Pub the maintenance guy would run the DMA tool on that old server. Then power it down.

Once he installs the new servers with 7.1 software does he run the DMA tool then? and does the DMA tool take everything from route patterns, route list, etc..? But it doesn't transfer over the MOH and all the extra user friendly VOIP jazz...right?

 

[whykap]

Pretty much. All data is transfered besides MOH files.
Again this is an involved procedure and trying to detail it here will not work. If I were you I would give it a test run.
Once again let me caution you on trying to do this without someone who has done this before. You don't seem to have a handle on the procedure and neither does your maintenance guy.

 

[pndscm]

When you install the 7.1 software on the new server, it will ask if you are importing old data. Then you have to point the new software installer to the old DMA file which has to be on an FTP or SFTP server available to the new server.

BTW, delete all the CDR info from the old 4.3 server BEFORE you run the DMA. It will make your DMA file a lot smaller and quicker to re-import. If you need the old CDR, save it and restore it to the old server until you have everything you need from it.

On your steps, I'd leave the old 4.3 server running handling calls, don't power it down, just unplug it from the network when you have the new server built, verified (stare and compare) and ready to run your phones. In this way if something would go terrribly wrong, you can just unplug the new server and plug the old one back.

Be aware that when you install the DMA program on the old Publisher, it requires a reboot.

 

[mintyfreshness23]

Thanks pndscm!

We will keep the suggestion about leaving the 4.3 running while we configure the new servers and then plug it to the new servers once ready.

Thanks for the heads up about the downtime it would require when the installation about the DMA program is installed on the old Publisher.

Very helpful! Thank you!