Upgrade SV8500 to SV9500

[phadobas]

I have a site that will need an upgrade to SV9500. I just want to get a 2nd opinion on the sequence of steps. It's a dual CPU SV8500 right now (S8), with Hotel/Motel, and Fusion licenses. Both CPU-s are the new version that the SV9500 requires (I think CP002?). I have at hand and extra, 3rd CPU card, and an extra chassis with power supply. So I assume I can do some of the actions on this "spare" system, without having to take down the live system (I really want to minimize the downtime). I also have UCE2016 which is getting upgraded to UCE 2018. The system itself has 3 physical PIMs and 4 virtuals. I don't have a TSWD box, and TDM stuff is managed by a pair of SW10-A cards and PC36 cards (dual TDM system).

I received the following:
- UCE 2018 on USB stick, and the needed license
- A new EMA card and Gate card
- The SV9500 DVD-s
- 2x CF cards with the generic SV9500 preloaded already
- svi file and an activation code for the SV9500.

My current UCE (and the MA4000) will not be compatible with the SV9500, so I wanted to upgrade these before the phone system upgrade. However, I found that the new UCE came with a new license file, which is not compatible with the current SV8500. It requires different HKC-s from the system, but they won't change until I upgrade to 9500. I was hoping I could at least upgrade the UCE beforehand, but no...

Ok, so here is the plan:
- Fire up the extra chassis, with the spare CPU card, and with one of the CF cards.
- Backup the 8500: MEM_HDD, select everything and also click B+C drive option.
- Back up speed dials with the BOYD command onto a PC
- Export the backup file to a PC (use a browser to log in to the pbx on port 9801). Do this on both side 0 and 1.
- Take this backup, and load it on the spare system with a browser. Then load the speed dials too.
- Load the svi file I got for the system.
- MEM_HDD and again, select everything (don't bother entering the license key for the SVI file until this card is in the live system).
- Shut down the spare system, insert the second CF card, fire up, load the system data, the svi and speed dials.

With these, I should have 2 CF cards with the SV9500 and all my programming loaded. Now ready to work on the live system, in the middle of the night:

- Shut down the system through web browser
- Turn off power on the back
- Replace the EMA and Gate cards I got
- Insert the 2 prepared CF cards
- Turn on the system
- Pray
- The whole thing should come up with all my office data loaded and all phones should register just fine
- All the speed dials should be in place
- Run IPAN to ensure all IP phones are up.
- AACT to enter the registration code

My questions are as follows:
Isn't there going to be a problem if I use a 3rd CPU card to prepare the CF cards? Somehow my vendor states that once I fire up the new system, my HKC-s will change. Really? Isn't that H for a reason (Hardware...)?

If I run into a license code verification problem, I will be locked out of the system. I know that PC PRO allows a 3-day (or 7-day?) temporary unlock. If you use that option, you still have to enter some code, but I forgot what code is that.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[belevedere]

The registration code is linked to the HKC. You can probably prep the CF's, but you cannot put in the registration code until it's in the CPU it which it will live. Check and verify the registration code you were given is for the proper HKC. I did an upgrade once on an 8500 the way you are planning. Using a 'spare' system I prepped the cards, got the proper registration code. Did the swap out on a Saturday evening. The system came up but I had no voice over fusion. I had to call NTAC $$$. They had me do it all over again on site. Two clothing changes later everything worked. NTAC could not give me a reason why. I suggest having your vendor on call just in case.

 

[belevedere]

There is a migration document. I attempted to upload it and resulted in an error. Possibly too large. It outlines the migration steps to go from the 8500 to 9500. Maybe your vendor can get you a copy.

 

[3racefan3]

With spare flash cards - Load SV9500 image with compact flash card and have your complete back up saved on your PC. Then make sure you are running on side 0 and shutdown CPU 1 and patch to a network switch( I have a small 8 port NetGear) and give your laptop a IP address that work with the default LAN 1 address. Install flash card and turn on CPU, load backup and SVI, repeat for second flash card, when ready shutdown CPU 0 and install new flash card. Turn system back up and enter your activation code. your downtime doing things this way should only be 5 minutes as the system comes back on line and if you have issues you still have your original flash cards to bring system on line.

 

[phadobas]

Thank you for the replies. It does seem super simple. While I'm still organizing when this downtime will be (even 5 minutes in the middle of the night seems to be forever in my organization...), with my spare system I went ahead and installed my office data and svi. Of course on that 3rd, backup CPU, my activation key won't work, but I just wanted to go through the steps. Seemed all good, it took on all the programming as far as I can tell. But by the time I'll ACTUALLY do this (seems like in a week), I'll have to reload my office data again. But at least I know what I may run into (for example, when I loaded the office data, I couldn't run MEM_HDD on any of the LP-s, as the office data wans't in effect until I did a SINZ and selected the "reloaded office data" option. Then I could back up all that onto the SV9500 CF card).

 

[phadobas]

The upgrade is done, although it took 2 nights. I prepared the CF cards on my spare system and loaded the license files, all looked good in preparations. When the night came, I shut down the live system, put in the prepared CF cards and fired up the system. One of the 3 physical PIM-s I have remained dead. No cards worked on that PIM. I also saw a few IP phones registering just fine first, but then they rebooted an re-registered. Again and again. Also, my VS32 wouldn't come on line, while the MG PRI came on line just fine.
So I had to backtrack as I didn't have much time to keep the system down.
Next day I found in AACT that the svi file contained license for 2 physical PIMs instead of 3. I got that corrected by my vendor, and loaded the new svi file on the SV9500 CF cards on my spare system. While I was at it, I also enabled all 16 PIMs (I only had 9 licensed PIMs in the 8500, but in the 9500, all PIMs are available by default). Then I went at it again the next night. My stopwatch said the time between me shutting down the old system, inserting the new CF cards, turning it on and it coming on-line took 3:30 minutes. And all was good. I had all PIMs available, all protocol handlers worked, all PIMs worked, all stations, everything. Even my custom made OAI app worked like a charm.
Then today I upgraded the UCE from the USB that NEC sent to me. After that, my MA4000 complained that it can't manage the pbx version. Turned out NEC came out with a patch, which was then given to me. Once I installed the patch, MA4000 got fixed.

Thanks for all your inputs above.