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Request for help validating server upgrade and new failover scenario

Ginger Dillon
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

Hello -

I currently have a Unity 3.1(5) 24-port server that I'm planning to upgrade to 4.0(3) soon. It is networked to a Unity bridge 2.(1). For future failover reasons, as well as to provide a server from which our users can train on the new CISCOPCA web interface, I would like to install a new server. I believe I can complete the process in this manner:

1. Purchase failover licensing for server processors, users, and SQL 2000. Obtain SASU upgrade license for the 3.1 bridge. We already have the SASU license for upgrading 3.1 to 4.0.

2. Install Unity 4.0(3) onto a spare server with the same two processor configuration using a demo license. Install SQL 2000 instead of MSDE. Create test userids on this server and make available to our customers for several weeks to become familiar with the new web interface and 4.0(3) new features. Result - reduce the need/cost to further retrain 500+ employees and enable time to update all of the screen shots we have on a fairly extensive customer self-help website for Unity 3.1(5), Optional conversation-1.

2. Schedule upgrade of our Unity 3.1(5) server to 4.0(3); Bridge server to 3.1; and IVC to 11.0. Upgrade MSDE on Unity to SQL 2000.

3. Upgrade demo license on Unity 4.0(3) server to failover license.

4. Configure failover. Our primary server would be the original 3.1(5) server upgraded. The new 4.0(3) server would become the secondary.

I would appreciate your advice on this proposed methodology and to know if I'm on the right track.

Thanks so much! Ginger :-)

P.S. This forum and its moderator/support staff have been super resource!

3 Replies 3

lindborg
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Asked some folks much more familiar with the ins and outs of failover than myself - here's the answer I got back:

=================

We do support introducing failover to an existing single server environment. However, we had a few escalations recently where customers ran into problems doing this.

1. Primary server went through upgrades to the target version and secondary server was a new install of the target version. Failover is not configured correctly due to the discrepancies in database schema. In one case, running UnityDbEx.sql on the secondary fixed the problem (CSCec48081). In the second case, customer had to rebuild the secondary server with the original version the primary server had and upgrade to the target version, then configure failover.

2. Customer upgraded MSDE to SQL 2000 and is struggling to configure Failover. This case is still open.

In terms of what is the best path for this customer, I would suggest upgrading the primary to 4.0(3), taking a DiRT backup, rebuilding both the boxes to 4.0(3), and using DiRT to restore the data.

=============

hope that helps

Hi Jeff -

Thanks for checking on this for me and for your quick reply. I believe I will have the upgrade done before we get the failover system funded, so I will have some time to take your advice into account and plan for it.

Regards, Ginger

I had a customer with Unity 4.0.3sr1-es68. It already had MSDE2000, but was upgraded to SQL2000. The failover config would not go because it saw the MSDE originally installed. The original setup was a single UnityVM-and-Exchange2000 on the same box. I did a DIRT and installed Unity on one box and Exchange on another. I put back the information by doing a recovery. After fixing some minor descrepencies I installed an additional server for failover. I ran the failover config on VM1 and it went well. I ran the failoverconfig on VM2 and it removed everything out of AD-and-Exchange that was origianlly there. Before the failoverconfig the VM2 server was running fine, ALL services related to Unity. After the failover it would NOT start. I ran the sql query stated above and it seemed to fix it because Unity on VM came on line and the Failover monitor went from Local-Active-running(Primary) Remote not-running-Inactive (Secondary), to bothe running and active inactive.

The SQL database on the primary server contains some of the vaules for VM2 but some information in the table is missing. Does failover work in that both servers use ONE mailbox (MAPI) to exchange. I would really like to know what took place and why, and if this is a know issue why is it NOT in any doc or an update given out by Cisco.

Thanks

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