CommServe Hardware Refresh: Moving the CommServe Server From an Old Cluster to a New Cluster Environment

If you moved the CommServe database from a cluster to another cluster, you need to perform the following steps to perform hardware refresh using the Recovery Assistant tool.

Before You Begin

• Install the CommServe software in your new Microsoft failover cluster environment on all the Nodes. Complete this installation as a fresh installation by selecting Create New Database option in Database Install Option page for the active node.

  For the installation instructions, see Installing Server Packages in a Cluster Environment.

  Important

  The installation package must include the same set of packages as the old CommServe computer. If you have a cluster environment, you must have the same set of packages on all of the cluster nodes, both active and passive. To see the list of packages installed on a CommServe computer, in the CommCell Browser, right-click the CommServe Client Computer, and then go to View > Installed Software.

• Log on to both the active and passive nodes of the new cluster environment and ensure that the network details (computer name and IP settings) are properly set.

• On the existing or old Microsoft cluster environment active node, perform all the steps mentioned under Procedure in Preparing the Old CommServe Computer for Shutdown.

  Consider the following:

  • For Step 8 in procedure, copy the CommServe Disaster Recovery backup files (set_XXX folder) to the new Microsoft failover cluster environment active node.

  • For Step 13 in procedure, to shut down all the nodes of this old Microsoft cluster CommServe computer, complete the following steps:

    1. Stop all Commvault services.

    2. Shut down the old Microsoft failover cluster and all associated nodes.

    3. Unplug the network cables.

    4. If you have a tape library attached to the CommServe, unplug the library from the CommServe computer, and then plug it in to the new hardware.

Procedure

Step 1: Recovering the CommServe Database Using the Recovery Assistant Tool on New Microsoft Failover Cluster

1. Login to the active node's physical machine in the new cluster

2. Open Commvault Process Manager on active node and stop all Commvault services.

3. Check the active node in Microsoft Failover Cluster Manager.

   Make sure Commvault cluster role status is partially running with only Commvault services stopped under Roles. Also, make sure current node is still active. If it failed over to another node, then fail back to this node.

4. On the CommServe computer, go to the <software installation path>\Base folder and double-click CSRecoveryAssistant.exe.

5. In the CommServe Recovery Assistant dialog box, click Recovery, and then click Next.

6. Write the confirmation text, and then click Next.

7. In the Enter the path to the database dump folder box, enter or browse the name of the disaster recovery folder where the dump files from Step 8 of Preparing the Old CommServe Computer for Shutdown as mentioned in the Before you Begin section, and then click Next.

   Make sure that the dump files are available on the local disk of this New CommServe host.

8. In the Enter the path to extract the database files box, type the destination path where you want to restore the CommServe database files, and then click Next.

   Alternatively, click Browse, and then select the restore path.

   By default, all the database files are restored to the CommServe database path located on the destination CommServe host.

9. In the Summary screen, review the selections, and then click Start Recovery.

   The tool now performs the following operations on the CommServe system:

   1. Stop services on your CommServe computer

   2. Restore the database to the specified restore path

   3. Verifies and upgrades the database if required

   4. The tool can upgrade the database from a previous version or service pack.

   5. Synchronize the CommServe system and the restored database

10. When all the operations are complete, click Next.

    The host name and client name of the destination CommServe host and the restored database appear. If the names are different, the tool updates the CommServe host with the client name of the restored database and host name of the destination CommServe host.

11. If the IP address of the destination CommServe host is different from the original production CommServe host, select the Provide a license file check box and enter the path to a new IP address change license file in the text box provided, and then click Next.

    Note: If you do not have a new license, contact your Commvault Account Manager or Support for a new license. It is optional to provide a license file if the tool detects no change in the CommServe IP address in the existing license file.

12. In Cluster to Cluster conversion screen, select Specify cluster nodes checkbox and in the Physical Node text boxes type the names of the physical CommServe nodes as they appear in the Microsoft Failover Cluster Manager under Nodes, and click Next.

    Do not copy and paste the physical node name from the registry or add the characters "_node" to the node name. The characters "_node" are automatically added to the physical node name during the database restore operation.

    A completion message appears.

13. Click Finish.

    The database will be converted from old cluster to new cluster environment.

14. Open Microsoft Failover Cluster Manager. navigate to the cluster, and then select Roles.

    Make sure Commvault cluster role status is Partially running with only Commvault services stopped under Roles. Also, make sure that the current node is still active. If cluster failover happened to another node, then fail back to this node.

15. Under right side panel, select Roles.

16. Right-click on the SQL Server Commvault cluster role, and then select Start Role.

17. Log on to the CommCell Console.

18. Navigate to CommCell Browser > Client Computers.

    The old Microsoft Cluster Environment Physical nodes will be now visible with ‘_Node’ suffix in their name and ‘_Decommissioned’ suffix in their hostname.

    This decommissioned old cluster physical nodes can now be safely retired or deleted.

19. Update DR Backup Metadata folder path to reflect a new location under new Cluster Drive in this New Microsoft Failover Cluster environment.

20. To update this, navigate to CommCell Console > Home > Control Panel > DR Backup, and then update the value for Back Up Metadata to this folder.

21. Perform Step 5 to Step 12 under Procedure of topic Alternative Method: Install the CommServe Software, and then Restore the Database under CommServe Hardware Refresh: Setting Up the CommServe Database in the New Hardware.

Step 2: Configure an Additional Setting to Send Update Status to the CommServe

1. Log on to the CommCell Console.

2. In the CommCell Browser, right click the <CommServe> computer, and then click Properties.

3. Click the Additional Settings tab, and then click Add.

4. In the Add Additional Settings on Windows Client dialog box, do the following:

   1. In the Name box, type bSendUpdateStatusToCS.

   2. In the Category box, type UpdateFlags.

   3. From the Type list, select INTEGER.

   4. In the Value box, type 1.

   5. Click OK.

5. Click OK to close the CommCell Properties dialog box.

6. Restart the CommCell services using the Process Manager. For instructions, see Restarting a Service.

Step 3: Perform CommServe Hardware Refresh: Post Migration Operations

1. Please perform recommended operations on the new CommServe computer after the hardware refresh documented here: CommServe Hardware Refresh: Post Migration Operations.