No Downtime Migration of BES Server to new Hardware - Issue
 

I have to migrate our current BES server (4.1.5) from it's old hardware on Windows 2000, to a newer bit of kit on Windows 2003.

Unfortunately for lots of boring business reasons, wholesale downtime is not an option. I have built bit's of kit to test the process but I have hit on a teeny snag. This is where I have got to so far.

I install BES on the new server absolutely fine, I then run the config util and point it at the SQL database of the old one, I then see both servers happily, and I can drag handsets across just fine, I have no issue moving the SQL database to the new server either.

However, I uninstall BES from the original and delete the server object from the console just fine, but the Original Servers MDS objects won't go from the console. Thats the _BBIM and the _CS ones.

Anyone have an idea how to clean up these bits ? I have heard tell that the only way to do this is to manually remove them from the SQL database.

Can anyone confirm this is the only way, and if so tell me which tables or entires in SQL I need to delete

Any reason why you aren't doing a knife-edge move? When you are done, you just shut off the old server.

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Why not purchase a migration kit from RIM which will give you a new SRP to install on the new server, get both running in parallel, pointing the new server to the database on the old server, migrate users one at a time from one server to the other (no new activation required) when that is done, copy the databases from the old server to the new. One major assumption is the BES and SQL/MSDE versions are the same on both servers.

My apologies for not being clearer ckent. This is exactly what I am doing

I have a spare SRP's, I have done the migration one at a time like you say and moved the SQL databases to the new box, but when I uninstall the original server some stuff remains in the console on the new machine.

Had a similar issue, had to bring the old machine back online, point it to the new SQL databases, then remove the old MDS items from the management console. This was after working with T-Support folks, according to them there is also a way to remove these items manually from the database(s) but we didn't need to take it to that level.

ahhh, the old server has been rebuilt for another test.

Are you saying the uninstall did not work correctly, or that there is a way to remove MDS before the decomission ?

We were warned ahead of time about the un-install not likely to work properly. My advice at this point if the old server is non-recoverable would be to get on the phone with RIM and have them walk you through the SQL statements required to clean up the environment.

I thought as much, thanks

Does anybody know what these SQL commands are ?

Come one, SOMEONE must know how to do this !!!!

yeah RIM do..

Whilst I'm happy to provide general advise to other users on this forum I think you'd find not that many people would be that keen to provide advice on SQL commands that write/delete data to your BES dbase, and I don't think it's that common a problem so the vast majority of readers might not have come across it..

Loooking at it another way - would you want to go to your "no downtime is acceptable" boss and tell him you hosed the BES as you executed a command you read about on an internet forum...

I'd seriously suggest you get on the phone to RIM and get them to email exactly the correct commands to you...that way you've CYA'd.

OK, fixed it now

I used the SQL Managment Studio Express tool, Opened the Database and opened the tables listed below, deleted the lines for the offending server out of each table and hey presto.

MDSConfig
MDSAGConfig
IMConfig