What are the steps for Upgrading/Migrating to IT Management Suite 8.5
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What are the steps for Upgrading/Migrating to IT Management Suite 8.5

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Article ID: 172709

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Updated On:

Products

IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

The following are the supported scenarios for customers that want to migrate data between two Notification Servers (also known as Symantec Management Platform):

  • Upgrade migration scenarios (new hardware, upgraded operating system) to a newer version of the Symantec Management Platform
  • Migration scenarios (new hardware, upgraded operating system) to the same version

Environment

ITMS 8.1, 8.5

Resolution

There are two available options for migrating data to a new server:

Migration wizard with a copy of the database - This is the easier option to just keep all existing data and settings
Standalone Replication - This can be the better option when trying to clean up the existing database and only move over the currently needed data

Prerequisites: The Source Notification server must be on the latest update for its version ie. (8.0 HF6, 8.1 RU7 or 8.5)

Migration: Steps for Upgrading/Migrating from 8.1 RU7 to 8.5

Standalone replication - Several options available and they are listed below in the order of precedence

Standalone replication rules are all defined by going to Settings> Notification Server> Hierarchy.  Then Hierarchy and Replication> Replication

  • Item Replication Rule - By far the most important in the process, this is used to bring over the following Policies, including any associated and referenced items required for the policy to work ie (Filter, Targets, Folders, Packages, Command lines, etc)
  • Resource Replication Rule - Used if they want to bring over sites and subnets, computers because they have asset data, accounts for security
  • Security (Role\Privilege) Replication Rule - This is used to bring over the defined roles and privileges for them after the Item Replication rules have been run.  Use this if they had roles defined on the old server
  • Event Replication Rule - These are not used in a migration scenario.  They are used more when we have a reporting server that we need to forward data to.

NOTE: Typically the Item Replication Rule is all that is needed as it brings overall associated data that is needed.

Migrating the agents - Moving agents from the existing Notification server to the newly built Notification Server (please refer to KB 169641 "How to move or migrate Management Agents from one Notification Server to another")

  1. On the source or original server, open the SMP Console and go to Settings> All Settings.  Then Settings> Agents/Plug-ins> Symantec Management Agent> Symantec Management Agent Communication Profiles.
  2. Change the server that the agents are communicating to, to be the new server.
    NOTE: To move the clients over is a more staged fashion create a new Targeted Agent setting and a new Communication profile and slowly add agents to that policy.
    If the new server has different certificates and https is being used it would also be important to add the certificates needed on the new server to the communication profile.

Best Practices

  • Leave both servers up until they have verified that nothing is missing

For detailed steps see  IT Management Suite 8.5 Data Migration.