Turn an unwanted app server to a Test environment

Products

• CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager

Issue/Introduction

Currently our production has an Advanced Availability environment that consists of one background server, one standby server and a couple of app servers. We have determined that one app server is not needed anymore and would like to turn this unwanted app server to a Test environment. 

Environment

CA Service Desk Manager 17.3 and higher, Advanced Availability install

Resolution

Please follow these steps

1. Shutdown Service Desk Manager service from the app server

2. From the background server web interface, Administration-->System-->Servers, double click on the app server and click on Edit and change the status from Active to Inactive

3. Install the Service Desk Manager GA and then install the rollup patch using a new mdb

4. Run pdm_configure on the app server and do the following changes

   4.1 choose Conventional configuration

   4.2 choose primary server type

   4.3 enter a new database server name for the mdb and check the checkbox "Load default data"

         Note: you can't use the existing mdb database that is being used by the production install

5. Start Service Desk Manager service on the originally app server(now it is a primary server) if it does not start yet

6. Follow steps in

How to migrate CA Service Desk Manager (CA SDM) changes made in Web Screen Painter (WSP)

to move the customization from the production installation to this new primary server(originally the app server)

After these steps, your existing production installation has one less app server and you have a new Test installation using that unwanted app server. Please note that in step 3 you could make it a new background server but since there is no standby/app servers in this new install, we recommend make it a conventional primary server.