KnowledgeBase Articles » What's the best way to migrate my PerfectMail server?

Thursday, June 28, 2012, 14:41

What's the best way to migrate my PerfectMail server?

Category: Setup

Solution ID: 00000128

Summary:

Best practices for migrating a PerfectMail server.

Answer:

The best way to migrate a PerfectMail server is to use the following procedure:

1. Schedule your activities to take advantage of available support resources. Most of the server migration activities can be performed during normal business hours, when support is available. If you required after-hours support let us know in advance so we can make arrangements with our support staff.
2. Build a new target server, and install PerfectMail using the latest PerfectMail Install Image (ISO) available from our Download Page.
3. A new PerfectMail server will automatically have a 60 day demo license that you can use during the migration period. However, either before or after the migration it is best to contact our Support Staff to ensure the proper license and Activation Code has been applied to your new server. With PerfectMail, license codes are tied to particular machines, so changing the machine requires a new License or Activation Code.
4. On the "old" server, go to the "Server Admin=>Backup" page. Create a new backup by entering a new description and clicking the "Create Backup button. Click the "Existing Backups" tab, then click on the description of your newly created backup. This will download the "old" server backup to your local PC.
5. Upload and "Existing Backup" onto the new server. On the "new" server, go to the "Server Admin=>Backup" page and click the "Browse" button to select a backup file to upload. Find the backup file you created and downloaded for the "old" server, then click the "open" button. The filename of the "old" backup should now appear in the "Backup File" field. Click the "Upload" button to upload the file.
6. Restore the domain and filter settings onto the "new" server. This will *not* change the network settings for the "new" server, making this a good way to load and test your configuration. Click on the "Existing Backups" then click the "Restore Domain and Filter Settings" link beside the "old" server backup that you uploaded.
7. Review the configuration of your "new" PerfectMail server. When you are ready complete the migration in the following steps.
8. Perform a Full Server Restore on the "new" server. This *will* update all settings including network settings on the new server. Changes to the network settings will not occur until the server is rebooted. (Licensing is tied to specific machines, so Licensing will not be updated.)
9. Shutdown the "old" server. You can click the "Shutdown Server" link on the PerfectMail Dashboard to do this.
10. Reboot the "new" server. You can click the "Reboot Server" link on the PerfectMail Dashboard to do this.
11. Confirm functionality of the "new" server. If there is a problem that requires rolling back to the old server, simply shutdown the "new" server and start the "old" server.

Tags: perfectmail, server, migration

Link to this article: https://perfectmail.com/kb/how_migrate_server

Updated: Thursday, June 28, 2012, 14:41

-- David Rutherford