1.2 Migration Overview

The NetWare Migration Wizard is a server data and identity migration tool to help you transfer file system data and the NDS/eDirectory database from an existing NetWare server to a new NetWare server on your network. When the migration is complete, the new server replaces and assumes the identity of the old server on the network.

NetWare Migration Wizard version 8.x supports migrations from NetWare 4, NetWare 5, or NetWare 6 source servers. Destination servers must be running NetWare 6.5.

You can create a migration project to do the following:

NetWare Migration Wizard handles only NetWare-to-NetWare migrations.

IMPORTANT:If you want to migrate data from servers in Microsoft Windows domains, or consolidate data from one or more NetWare servers to existing NetWare servers, or Novell Branch Office servers, use the Novell Server Consolidation Utility that is included as part of the Server Consolidation and Migration Toolkit.

This section describes what NetWare Migration Wizard is and how you can use it to migrate data from an existing NetWare server to a new NetWare 6.5.

1.2.1 About NetWare Migration Wizard

NetWare Migration Wizard is designed to help you transfer the identity of one server to another server. This is what is referred to as a server hardware upgrade.

NOTE:If you want to add a new server with a new name into your network, you wouldn't use the Migration Wizard; you would use the NetWare server installation program.

NetWare Migration Wizard is an ideal tool for moving existing NetWare data onto faster, more reliable server hardware. It is a Windows-based program that you run on a workstation. With the Migration Wizard, you model your migration project using simple drag-and-drop procedures before you actually perform the migration. This helps prevent errors from interrupting your data migration and allows you to prevent mistakes before they happen.

You can also take advantage of this modeling capability to reorganize the data on your server and even resize volumes, if needed. However, Migration Wizard is best suited for migrations requiring a minimal amount of volume reorganization.

As you work through the modeling phase of NetWare Migration Wizard, all of your decisions are recorded in a migration project file. At any time during the modeling process, you can save the project file, exit the utility, and then restart Migration Wizard and resume from where you left off.

After the modeling phase is completed, you can proceed with the actual migration. This process is divided into four basic steps:

  • Step 1: Copy File System Data.

    Using the data contained in the migration project file, Migration Wizard copies the files and folders (or even entire volumes) you selected from the source server to a newly installed destination server. All file system data, including meta-data such as file trustees, ownerships and attributes, is copied from the old machine to the new one.

  • Step 2: Edit Configuration Files.

    During this step, Migration Wizard presents configuration files such as autoexec.ncf and startup.ncf side-by-side so you can easily copy commands and settings from the source server's configuration files to matching files on the destination server.

  • Step 3: Begin NDS/eDirectory Migration.

    The NDS/eDirectory files are transferred from the old server to the new one without any additional work on your part. After the migration, the eDirectory partitions that existed on the old server will exist on the new server. This is because the Migration Wizard backs up the entire eDirectory database on the source server and then restores it on the destination server.

  • Step 4: Finish NDS/eDirectory Migration.

    After the source server’s file system and NDS/eDirectory database are migrated to the destination server, the source server is automatically brought down and the destination server reboots and assumes the name and identity of the source server on your existing network.

Before you can migrate your data, you must first install a destination NetWare server in a temporary eDirectory tree (see Figure 1-3). A temporary eDirectory tree is simply a tree that contains one server with a pre-migration installation of NetWare and no additional products installed (other than SMS and other products installed by default).

Figure 1-3 Server Hardware Upgrade with NetWare Migration Wizard

How the temporary destination server takes over the name and identity of the source server during the migration

Migration Wizard automatically modifies the destination server’s autoexec.ncf file to include the source server’s name and internal IPX number/server ID. You don't have to modify these manually. Because the server's identity has been transferred from one physical server to another, you don't need to upgrade any client applications that might be doing drive mappings or running applications based on the server name. However, you do have to manually change the IP address of the destination server to match that of the source server.

Migration Wizard does not migrate any products and services that are running on the source server. After the migration is complete, you need to reinstall all applications on the destination server and reconfigure them, if necessary.