[ZendTo] [Data migration from old installation]

[Jules]

Greg,

Smart, I like it!

I've just done a similar upgrade myself for the copy my own University 
runs, but I stuck with MySQL. But I do have to confess, I didn't do it 
anything like as neatly as you did. I rsynced all the data across (LVM 
differences between RedHat 6 and 7 prevented just moving the vmdk, 
sadly) and moved the CNAME to the new server. The service was out of 
action for a little while, but considering they get not only ZendTo but 
all my support time for free (I don't even work in the Uni's IT 
department), I was going to do it the easy and simple way.

Cheers,
Jules.

P.S. Donations via Paypal are always gratefully received, especially if 
ZendTo is saving your institution/company a lot of money or providing a 
valuable service! (I can always produce "consulting" invoices if that 
helps grease the wheels of your Finance dept)

On 01/03/2018 9:10 pm, Greg Clarke wrote:
> Peter
>
> There is an alternate method for replacing a server but it is 
> dependent on the old server being referenced by a CNAME.
>
> This method gives you more flexibility in changing the server as the 
> new server can have a different OS e.g old Ubuntu, new RHEL, and 
> database, old MySQL, new SQLite.
>
> I will use our environment as an example of how we used this method to 
> change both the OS, database, and upgraded ZendTo, when changing our 
> server.
>
> The old server had the name nickel which was referenced by the CNAME 
> privatebag. We advertise our ZendTo instance as Private Bag to our 
> users as our public mail delivery system uses Private Bags for the 
> delivery of secure mail. So using Private Bag allows us to piggy back 
> on the users existing knowledge of private correspondence.
>
>
> Step 1: Change the pickup URL delivered in the pickup notices from 
> privatebag to nickel.
>
> We expire pickups after 14 days so from the date of the change the 
> system has pickups that have either privatebag or nickel in the 
> distributed pickup notices. After 14 days all the pickups that were 
> referenced by privatebag have expired.
>
> Step 2: Build new server called postaldistrix, install and configure 
> ZendTo. The pickup URL can be set to privatebag. This step can be done 
> during the 14 day period when privatebag pickups are expiring from the 
> old system.
>
> Step 3: After all of the privatebag referenced pickups have expired 
> from the old system, in our case 15 days after Step 1, change the 
> privatebag CNAME to reference postaldistrix. Other sites can calculate 
> when to perform this step by using drop-off retention period plus one.
>
> Now the old system will have pickups referencing nickel, The new 
> server, postaldistrix, will have pickups referencing privatebag.
>
> Step 4: After all of the nickel referenced pickups have expired nickel 
> can be decommissioned and shutdown. Finished.
>
>
> The whole process is time consuming, 30 days in our case. The end 
> result is that we moved from CentOS 6.9 to RHEL 7.4, changed the 
> database from MySQL to the default database, upgraded ZendTo from 4.12 
> to 5.0 without any disruption to drop off and pickup activity, or 
> users noticing a difference other than all the new features that 
> became available with ZendTo 5.0.
>
>
>
> Jules
>
> Thanks for your work on version 5. Use of our instance has doubled in 
> the two months since the performing the above upgrade process and with 
> students now back on campus after the long summer break we are 
> expecting use to expand further. Feedback so far is the the new 
> version is a lot quicker and easier to use.
>
>
> Have a good day.
>
>
> Greg
>
>
> SysProg, SAD, ITS
> The University of Waikato
> Hamilton
> NEW ZEALAND
> www.waikato.ac.nz <http://www.waikato.ac.nz>
>
>
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Jules

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Julian Field MEng CEng CITP MBCS MIEEE MACM

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