There are times when it might be necessary to move your SureSync installation to a new machine. For instance, if the machine you have SureSync installed on is being replaced by newer hardware you would need to move SureSync to new machine.
Please note that special care must be taken when moving a database to a new machine to ensure that the users are not locked out of the SureSync database due to lack of permissions on the Group Folder(s) in the database. If the old machine and the new machine are both members of the same domain and you use domain user accounts and domain groups for the Group Folder permissions in SureSync then there is no additional work to be done. The same user accounts and groups will be recognized on the new machine.
If you are using local groups only then you must change the permissions on the Group Folders in your database before copying it to the new machine. You can end up using local groups either by choice when in a domain (you decide not to use domain accounts for the Group Folder permissions) or because one or both of the machines are standalone and do not have access to domain accounts. You can also have problems if the machines are members of different domains and there is no trust established between them. In these cases you must add the "Everyone" group to each Group Folder in your database and grant that group "Full Control" before copying the database to the new machine. This will allow you to open the database on the new machine and then you should immediately redefine your security for each Group Folder on the new machine and then remove the "Everyone" group to prevent unauthorized access to the SureSync database.
To move SureSync to a different machine you would do the following:
- Place all Schedules and Real-Time Monitors on hold using the old SureSync installation first. This makes sure that the jobs don’t launch on the new machine before you’ve verified everything is configured correctly on the new machine.
- Make a copy of the SureSync.mdb database file (or any other .mdb file you’re using with SureSync) and move it to the new machine. If you’re using a SQL database you just need to know the name of the SQL server and the name of the SQL database to open it from the new machine. If you intend to move the SQL database to the new server as well then you must use SQL Management Studio to take a backup and then restore it on the new machine.
- Your database will have a copy of your license file stored within it. However, it is a good idea to have a copy of your "SureSync License.lic file" available in case you need to reimport your license.
- Install SureSync on the new machine.
- Copy your database to the new machine. The default Access database location is C:\Users\Public\Software Pursuits\SureSync on all versions of Windows Server 2008 and Vista or newer. The default Access database location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Pursuits\SureSync on Windows 2003 and Windows XP. Open SureSync and make sure to open the database you copied from the old machine. If your database is named the default SureSync.mdb and is in the default location for your operating system it will be opened automatically. If it is something else (a non-default Access database or a SQL database) you must open it by clicking the Home button, selecting Database and then Open Existing Database.
- You will want to look through your Jobs and make sure all of the paths are still relevant and correct. If you removed a machine you will want to remove any reference to that machine from all the Jobs. This must be done to completely release the licenses and make them available for reuse.
- It is critical that you ensure all paths are correct. If the machine SureSync was installed on was involved in your Jobs, you must modify all of the Jobs that contained root paths on that machine to reference the new machine. As long as the paths are the same SureSync provides an easy way to make this change. For example, assume SureSync was on ServerA and ServerA was referenced in a Job synchronizing C:\SalesData. SureSync is then moved to ServerB and the C:\SalesData that was on ServerA is also now moved to ServerB. You must update the Communications Agent reference so the Job points to ServerB and not ServerA. To do this, click on the Home button, select Communications Agents and then Replace Machine References. This will allow you to change all root paths in all of your Jobs that reference ServerA to ServerB in just a couple of clicks. If you need some paths in your synchronizations to remain referencing ServerA then you must change Jobs manually.
- Click on the Home button then select Communications Agents and click the Configure Communications Agents button. Select the machine or machines that have been removed from the "Select a computer from this list to edit its settings” drop down. Click the "Delete Machine” button to remove the machine(s) from the installation. This cannot be done if the machine is still referenced in any Job in the database.
- Any machines that have been removed completely from the SureSync environment should then be deactivated. To do so, click on the Home button and select Licenses. On the Licenses panel, click the "Activations…” button. Check the "Deactivate" checkbox next to the machine(s) that need to be deactivated and then click the "Activate, Deactivate or Refresh via Internet" button to process the request. If the machine does not have an Internet connection, you would instead press the "Export Activation/Deactivation Request" button and follow the instructions.
- You will want to install a Scheduler on the new machine to allow Schedules and Real-Time Monitors to be launched the appropriate times. This is done by clicking on the Home button and selecting "Scheduler Services”. In the "Scheduler Services” panel, click the "Install” button to install the Scheduler service. You should also remove the old Scheduler from the retired machine.
- After you have finished modifying the Jobs, it is recommended that you preview each Job before running them the first time on the new machine to make sure everything is behaving as expected. Once this is done, you can take your Schedules and Real-Time Monitors off of hold and let them run your Jobs in an automated manner.