5.2 Prepare the Source and Destination Servers

Before you launch Server Consolidation Utility from the Server Consolidation and Migration Toolkit, you must prepare the source and destination servers by completing these steps.

  1. Ensure that all source and destination servers are running supported versions of NetWare, or Windows server software.

    See Section 1.3, Supported Source and Destination Server Versions for more information on supported operating system versions.

  2. If necessary, apply the latest NetWare Support Packs on both source and destination NetWare servers.

    Updates are available for specific NetWare versions at the Consolidated Support Pack home page.

  3. If copying data from and to NetWare servers, set the same code page for both the source and destination servers.

    IMPORTANT:If both servers don’t have the same code page, data will be lost during the consolidation. For instructions on changing your server’s codepage, see Section 12.2, Changing the NetWare Server Code Page.

  4. As a precaution, you should have a current backup of all data on the destination servers.

    You should also back up the eDirectory information on the destination servers. For information on creating a backup of eDirectory, see Backing Up and Restoring Novell eDirectory in the Novell eDirectory 8.8 Administration Guide.

    You should have a current data and trustee backup of the source servers, even though the source data is not modified during a data consolidation project. The only time data is changed on the source server is when you are consolidating printers.

  5. For NetWare/eDirectory consolidations, load the latest Storage Management Services (SMS) Storage Management Data Requestor (smdr.nlm) and Target Service Agent (tsafs.nlm) modules on your source and destination NetWare servers.

    To load the SMS modules provided with the NetWare operating system software, type load smdr and load tsafs at the server console.

  6. Depending on how you have set up service discovery on your network, you might need to add the source server’s IP address, DNS name, and localhost name to the sys:/etc/hosts file on the destination server, and vice versa.

    See Section 5.2.2, Modifying the Hosts File for additional information.

5.2.1 Preparing NetWare 4 Source Servers

If you are planning to copy data from NetWare 4 source servers, complete these steps in addition to the ones in the previous section.

  1. The source and destination servers must see each other via IPX.

    For information on verifying IPX communication between servers, see Errors When Connecting to a NetWare 4 Server.

  2. Install long name space support on each volume containing data to be copied.

    To add long name space support to a NetWare 4.10 volume, enter

    load os2.nam

    and then

    add name space os2 volume_name

    at the server console. Replace volume_name with the name of the volume.

    To add long name space support to a NetWare 4.2 volume, enter

    load long.nam

    and then

    add name space long volume_name

    at the server console. Replace volume_name with the name of the volume.

  3. If you plan to copy compressed data from a NetWare 4 source server, enter the following command at the server console prompt:

    set convert compressed to uncompressed option=0

    Setting this parameter to 0 leaves compressed files compressed when they are accessed. This prevents compressed files from uncompressing and taking up all of your destination server's disk space when they are accessed. (Setting the option to 1 changes compressed files to uncompressed on second access, and setting the option to 2 always changes compressed files to the uncompressed version.)

    To view your server’s current Convert Compressed to Uncompressed Option SET parameter, execute the SET command at the server console prompt, select the File System category, and then page through the information until you see Convert Compressed to Uncompressed Option.

5.2.2 Modifying the Hosts File

The Server Consolidation Utility connects the servers involved in a consolidation using one of two methods: SLP or the sys:\etc\hosts file. If you don’t have SLP configured on your network, you must modify the sys:\etc\hosts file to include the IP address and server name of every source server involved in the consolidation project. This information must be manually added to the file before running the consolidation project.

IMPORTANT:Because Novell Branch Office does not configure SLP, consolidations to Branch Office servers must use information in the hosts file. However, the Branch Office server reconfigures itself each time it is restarted. This causes the sys:\etc\hosts file on the server to be rewritten each time it is restarted. If only one consolidation is being run with a Branch Office server, the hosts file needs to be modified only once to include the source server’s IP address and server name. However, if more than one consolidation is going to be run on a Branch Office server and the server has been restarted since the last consolidation, the hosts file must be modified each time the server is restarted.

You can modify the hosts file from the server console or from the client workstation.

From the Server Console

  1. At the server console, enter

    edit sys:etc/hosts

  2. Add to the file the IP address and DNS server name of every source server involved in the consolidation project.

    Type each IP address and server name as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Server_Name.

  3. Save the file.

From the Client Workstation

  1. Launch Windows Explorer.

  2. Browse to the NetWare server or Nterprise Branch Office appliance.

  3. Double-click the server name.

  4. Double-click the sys: volume.

  5. Double-click the etc directory.

  6. Open the hosts file with a text editor.

  7. Add to the file the IP address and server name of every source server involved in the consolidation project.

    Type the IP addresses and server names as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Server_Name.

  8. Save the file.