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Unity 4.2 Failover with Domino to Unity 7 Upgrade, best practise?

c.hennrich
Level 1
Level 1

Hi,

we have an Unity 4.2 failover setup with domino. As this installation is using win 2000 and Unity 7 is using 2003, what would be the best way to go?

After having a look at all Unity documents, I'm still not sure, what is best practise. A fresh install and then do a DiRt restore? As I was reading at ciscounitytools.com: COBRAS is not able to import the configuration to Unity with Domino, or is this not true?

Many thanks for help and guidance in advance!

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

David Hailey
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

COBRAS can export the data for a Domino system but there is no import functionality so this does you little good.  No support is planned for import into any version of Unity with Domino as the back end given limitations imposed  by IBM on the DUC interface.  As far as Unity goes in general, Domino is no longer supported as a message store beginning in version 8.0. 

In your scenario, you really have 2 options based on the same concept.  You can rebuild the OS on your existing servers to Win2K3 and then rebuild to the exact same version of 4.2 and go with a DiRT backup/restore.  If your servers are still supported or you have no need to upgrade, that's probably the option you'd go with.  Once you have the DiRT restore done, you'll be doing an in-place reinstall to get to version 7x.  FYI - the words Unity and upgrade don't really fit together.

The other option would be used if you need or want to upgrade to new servers.  You'd follow the same approach except your upgrade would be less impacting as far as services go.  You would build the new servers with new OS and the exact same version of 4.2 and then do your DiRT backup/restore processes.  From there, you'd again do an in-place reinstall to get to version 7x.

It's really the same option - just 2 different approaches.

Hailey

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6 Replies 6

David Hailey
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

COBRAS can export the data for a Domino system but there is no import functionality so this does you little good.  No support is planned for import into any version of Unity with Domino as the back end given limitations imposed  by IBM on the DUC interface.  As far as Unity goes in general, Domino is no longer supported as a message store beginning in version 8.0. 

In your scenario, you really have 2 options based on the same concept.  You can rebuild the OS on your existing servers to Win2K3 and then rebuild to the exact same version of 4.2 and go with a DiRT backup/restore.  If your servers are still supported or you have no need to upgrade, that's probably the option you'd go with.  Once you have the DiRT restore done, you'll be doing an in-place reinstall to get to version 7x.  FYI - the words Unity and upgrade don't really fit together.

The other option would be used if you need or want to upgrade to new servers.  You'd follow the same approach except your upgrade would be less impacting as far as services go.  You would build the new servers with new OS and the exact same version of 4.2 and then do your DiRT backup/restore processes.  From there, you'd again do an in-place reinstall to get to version 7x.

It's really the same option - just 2 different approaches.

Hailey

Please rate helpful posts!

David,

just one more question to your brilliant answer. I was wondering if I could use the 2000 operating system with unity 7 and domino, as I have read the following in the Unity 7 domino data sheet:

OS, message store, and third-party software support includes:
  Message store support: Lotus Domino Versions 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, and 8.5
  Windows 2000 and 2003 on the Cisco Unity server
  Support for data-protection software
  Support for remote-access software
  Support for monitoring software


I thought, that version 4.2 supports only Win 2000 server? So I would then upgrade to version 7 from 4.2 on the 2000 Unity server. After that I could do  and do a Dirt restore to also upgrade to win2003 server, or just use the old operating system.

Is this correct?

Many thanks in advance

The official OS support on version 4.2 is as follows:

"Cisco provides Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Platform Configuration  discs for every server qualified for use with Cisco Unity, but provides  Windows 2000 Server Platform Configuration discs only for selected  servers. You can install Windows 2000 Server on servers for which no  Platform Configuration discs exist, but you must use a retail Windows  disc and the hardware drivers provided by the server manufacturer.

If an issue is found to be related to the hardware drivers provided by  the manufacturer, Cisco will evaluate the problem, and, as appropriate,  issue a field notice, post an update, or direct the customer to updates  on the vendor's website."

Basically, this is saying that Windows 2000 is supported BUT only for servers that are outdated (i.e., no Windows 2003 platform disc exists) and only if you use a retail copy of Windows and all of the hardware drivers supplied by HP or IBM (depending on where your server comes from).

What does that say to me?  Technically, you can use Windows 2000 if you have to...but it would be best to update to 2003.  DiRT is definitely an acceptable, effective, and supported upgrade path but for me, it takes too long and is too involved.  In the end, I've found that every Unity upgrade is just a rebuild anyway.  If I were you, I'd make sure you have some backup discs in place (you can mirror your Unity discs) and I'd build the sytem to 2003 and install the new version of Unity as a fresh install.  From there, I'd use COBRAS to pull data over from the old 4.2/Win 200 version.  You'll have some manual work to do but I've had great success with this approach and I think it saves time...enough to make it worth your while for sure.  From there, if anything goes wrong - you can always fall back to mirrored discs and go from there.  Just my 2 cents, my friend.  And remember, either way - there are plenty of folks here to help you out.

Hailey

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Thank you for your answer.

But I thought that Cobras is no option with domino and I have to use Dirt.

Christian

I had posted something but took it back out. IGNORE =)

Sorry man, I am quite active in the forums and overlooked the the details in the title.  COBRAS only supports Export for Domino, not import - that hasn't changed.  You still upgrade your OS to Win2K3 as I stated before and the process for you from there is still the same - DiRT restore, etc.

Hailey

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