8.6 Planning to Merge Additional GroupWise Systems

If you have three or more systems to be merged, you must merge the systems one after the other. We will not use references to Site #3, Site #4, and so on. Instead, after the first and second systems have been merged, the third system will become Site #2 as you go through the merge planning, preparation, and step sections again. Therefore, each system will take its turn at being Site #2 while the first system being merged to will continue to be Site #1.

MERGE PLANNING WORKSHEET

If you are merging three or more GroupWise systems, select Yes and continue in this section under Item 1: Merging Three or More GroupWise Systems?; otherwise, select No and you are finished with your planning.

If you have three or more GroupWise systems to be merged, you can merge them in one session or at different times. In either case, you will be merging them one after the other with each additional system taking a turn at being Site #2. You need a separate worksheet for each additional system being merged.

Whether you merge the systems in one session or at different times, you can probably copy information specific to Site #1 to each additional worksheet, because most of that information should not be changed by a merge.

The merge process can be very lengthy when three or more systems are merged, especially if each system being merged has a number of secondary domains. For example, when you merge several systems, you select one as Site #1. This first system retains its primary domain, while the primary and secondary domains of the other systems all become secondary domains in Site #1. Also, all secondary domains in the other systems each need to be released before they can be merged. Because the merge process itself involves moving only one domain at a time, you could be running the release and merge programs many times—once for each primary and secondary domain in the second system, then the third system, and so on.

8.6.1 Merging in One Session

If you plan to merge all of your GroupWise systems in one session, you should fill out all of the worksheets before running the merge utility. Therefore, as you fill out the worksheets for each system, keep in mind the changes in structure for Site #1 that will occur after each system is merged with it.

Print another copy of the Merge Planning Worksheet for each additional GroupWise system to be merged.

MERGE PLANNING WORKSHEET

Do the following on each additional worksheet:

Under Item 16: Site #1 Name, enter the name of the GroupWise system to designate as Site #1.

Under Item 7: Site #2 Name, enter the name of the GroupWise system to designate as Site #2. If you are merging three or more GroupWise systems, you will select a different system as Site #2 each time you reuse this planning section and rerun the merge process.

Under Item 23: GroupWise MTAs for Sites #1 and #2, list the GroupWise MTAs that you need to shut down during the merge. Because you should be including all domains in the previously combined systems, your list should be longer for each subsequent worksheet.

8.6.2 Merging at Different Times

You might not want to merge several systems in one session. The amount of time required depends on how many secondary domains exist in each additional system. This is because you must release and merge each secondary domain one at a time.

If you plan to merge your GroupWise systems at different times, you can fill in each additional worksheet when you are ready to plan the merge for its system using this section.