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Media Agent Migration

  • November 16, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 904 views
M
Byte
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Hi all

 

I know migrating Meda Agents is usually pretty straightforward, but in this case we have some challenges.
The Media Agent is also a SQL server that runs a production DB. It was created as a MA to back itself up only, due to it’s size.

The customer is upgrading the Server Hardware and is following the below method, which causes us the challenges.

New server will be built and given the same name and IP as the old one.
So the old server will be shut down at the same time.

My though it is to uninstall the MA software on the old server and reinstall it giving it a different name - to allow the DDB to be copied across to the new MA.
Then if I install the MA software on the new servers, will Commvault register it as the previous MA?

Second to that is moving the maglibs across.
It’s all disk based. Is it possible to just detach the disks from the old server and attach them to the new one with the same ID’s and drive letters?

We don’t really have enough free capacity to do a ‘move mount path’.

We have very few options at this stage so I’m reaching out for any suggestions outside of the normal way of doing a migration.

Thanks.
Mauro

Best answer by Mauro

Hi Laurent

Thanks so much for your feedback.
 

I’m not sure what OS will be used on the new one. I figured we will have many challenges in the way they’d prefer to do it.
I’m waiting to find out if the old servers will stay available with a different name.

If so, these are the steps I think I’ll need to follow.

Stop all jobs and services associated to this MA.
Rename the hostname/IP and reboot.
Once up, rename the MA properties in the CS GUI.

Thereafter install the MA software on the new MA with the original name and start migrating DDB/Index_Cache/Maglibs with no down time required.

We have a very short window to work with so I think the above is probably the least disruptive.

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    L
    Byte
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    • Laurent
    • Byte
    • 386 replies
    • November 16, 2021

    Hi @Mauro 

    Quite challenging… 

    Will the new hardware receive the exact same OS ? BTW what OS is this ?

    And about the storage used for backups : is this a RAID, or dedicated physical disk hosting it ?

    About your plan to uninstall, rename it and reinstall MA to copy, does it mean that the old server could still be kept alive if beeing renamed ?

    Then, what about keeping the old server, renaming it before its shutdown but disabling the ‘important’ prod DB that’s inside, and have it working as a dedicated media agent, and attach the new physical server as a client to this MA? This way, no move mount path, no reinstall or risk to lose data at reconfiguration. 

    And if you are asked to shutdown the ‘old’ server a few days after, then you have time to reconfigure the old and the new, perform data migration if needed, etc..?

    M
    Byte
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    • Mauro
    • Author
    • Byte
    • 101 replies
    • Answer
    • November 16, 2021

    Hi Laurent

    Thanks so much for your feedback.
     

    I’m not sure what OS will be used on the new one. I figured we will have many challenges in the way they’d prefer to do it.
    I’m waiting to find out if the old servers will stay available with a different name.

    If so, these are the steps I think I’ll need to follow.

    Stop all jobs and services associated to this MA.
    Rename the hostname/IP and reboot.
    Once up, rename the MA properties in the CS GUI.

    Thereafter install the MA software on the new MA with the original name and start migrating DDB/Index_Cache/Maglibs with no down time required.

    We have a very short window to work with so I think the above is probably the least disruptive.

    L
    Byte
    Forum|alt.badge.img+15
    • Laurent
    • Byte
    • 386 replies
    • November 16, 2021

    Mauro,

    If both can be online for a few hours or days (required time to perform all those moves/tasks), then that’s also the way I would plan.

    But how will they migrate the content of the old instance to the new one? Do they plan to use the Commvault backup/restore option, or just dump the instance(s) to disk, and upload on the new machine while old is renamed ? (or use a 3rd device/server for this)

    Mike Struening
    1 person likes this
    • Mike Struening
      Mike Struening

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