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Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

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Is there anyone out there with experience in replacing Novell servers? I have a question that is not yet technical so don’t want to pay $300 for support. Question: If a server needs to be replaced, and it is replaced with a “new and better” server, can the operating system and all patches be restored from backup? And, any ideas on how many hours would be involved? And, would it require Novell support?

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Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

Depends on what you want to ‘replace’ If you want to replace the whole server, the only issue will be the NIC and other peripherals that the new server will have. If you take them from the old server (basically just updating MB, CPU and MEMORY thenthere shouldn’t be any problems. If you replace a NIC or SCSI controller with another brand then those drivers will need to be added and the old removed. But if you are upgrading the HDD’s as well then this is how I would do it. Load Novell from scratch on your New server getting all drivers loaded, down your old server and move the tape backup (unless your new back-up is compatible) to the new server and perform a restore of your data. You can set the New server up with identical Network info as it is not yet on the network. Once the restore is complete install the new server in place of the old and set to the side. Once you are sure the new server is functioning properly you can then wipe the HHD(s)

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

Sorry, I’m still new at this. I received 3 responses and while yours was helpful, the 3rd one was very descriptive and more detailed. I don’t have enough points to give everyone 300 so I think that means I have to rate yours as unacceptable. Thank you for your time.

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

If you have only one server. ie the server is not part of an NDS tree with other servers. Yes, it is no problem at all to restore the whole thing to a new server. If it is part of a tree, it can still be done but requires a little more effort and upgrading the server over the wire may be a better option. Need a little more info first.
Length of time is mostly dependant on how long the restore takes. Having done many single server upgrades a couple of hours plus the restore time. With a large tree, its taken over a day to sync the tree and prepare the server, then the restore time of over 14 hours.
Hope it helps.

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

Sorry, I’m still new at this. I received 3 responses and while yours was helpful, the 3rd one was very descriptive and more detailed. I don’t have enough points to give everyone 300 so I think that means I have to rate yours as unacceptable. Thank you for your time.

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

I’ve read some dangerous answers here…
-Make sure your NDS is healthy on your old server. Check support.novell.com for “NDS health check”.
-Install NetWare on your new server, in a dummy tree. (takes about an hour, maybe two. Don’t forget servicepacks)
-Make sure you have a backup of the data of your old server.
-Make sure you have a backup of the trustees of your old server. Most backup software does this just fine, but if you want an additional backup, look at support.novell.com for “TBACK3.EXE”. It’s a simple tool to use, it creates a file called TRESTORE.BAT in the root of every volume. Make sure you incorporate that file in your backup, or just put it on a floppy.
-Log everyone out of your old server. Log in yourself as Admin or equivalent.
-Once you’re ready to do the move, LOAD DSMAINT on your new server. Select the “backup NDS prior to hardware upgrade” option (or something like that, I’m not sure the exact text). This will create a file (called backup.nds I believe) in SYS:\system. Copy that file (about 1 MB) to your workstation.
-Bring down OLD, bring up NEW.
-Login with your workstation, and copy the BACKUP.NDS to SYS:\system
-Remove NDS from NEW, via LOAD INSTALL.
-Once NDS is remove, LOAD DSMAINT, and select Restore NDS after hardware upgrade.
-Install your backup software
-restore your tape.

The whole process takes just a few minutes. It’s the restore that takes time. Check afterwards if your trustees (=file rights) are correct. If not, execute the TRESTORE.BAT you made earlier.

Usually it’s a piece of cake, the major problem is usually installing the new server: getting the right drivers, finding the right parameters etc. And problem #1: get the users to log out when you want them to 😉

Certainly DO NOT just replace the server.

Jim

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

Didn’t have enough space for this:

More info about DSMAINT (which is the key to putting the NDS information from old to new) can be found on
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10010933.htm

(remove any spaces if they show up)

Jim

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

Thanks for all the detail. We will be making our attempt today. Have a good day!

Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

In reply to Novell 4.11 Server & Patches

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