Migrate the ARM installation to a new server
It may be necessary to migrate the ARM server installation to a new server, for example due to an upgrade of the operating system.
License
Legacy 8MAN licensing mechanism
Backup your current license file that is named *.license and is located here: %ProgramData%\protected-networks.com\8MAN\licenses. You will need this at the end of the migration to apply your license to the new server as described in the chapter Load the license file and check covered features.
SolarWinds ARM licensing mechanism
You need to deactivate the license on the old server and reactivate it later on the new server.
The deactivation is described in the chapter Transfer a license to another server.
The activation is described in the chapter Switch from an evaluation license to a production license.
Prepare the new server
- Make sure all system requirements are met.
- Set up the new server with the desired OS.
- Apply the latest Windows updates.
- Install the required .NET version(s).
- Make sure that the IIS role is activated.
- Stop and disable the ARM service on the old server. Copy all files and folders from
%ProgramData%\protected-networks.com\8MANto the same location on the new server. Please note that this process may take a while depending on the number and size of your scan archives stored under this path.
Do not install ARM at this moment!
Migrate the database
If your SQL Server and database was located on the old server or for any other reason needs to be migrated to a new server then follow the instructions given in the chapter Migrate the database to a new SQL server.
When the database is available at the desired location, some adjustments have to be made. There are still entries with the old server name that are not automatically updated. The SQL Server Management Studio is required for this.
Update ARM server names
The following steps are only necessary if the name of the ARM server will change.
Check which values are currently set
Start the SQL Management Studio and log in to the instance where the ARM database is located. Execute the following SQL query on the ARM database.
SELECT [_id],[_property],[_value]
FROM [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_server_configuration_object_values]
WHERE _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
Replace ARM-SERVER-A with the NetBIOS name of your old server, written in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Replace "_8ManDB" (legacy default) with the name of your ARM database name if necessary.
Update names
Replace ARM_SERVER-A with the NetBIOS name of your old server.
Replace ARM_SERVER-B with the NetBIOS name of your new server.
Replace "_8ManDB" (legacy default) with the name of your ARM database name if necessary.
update [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_server_configuration_object_values]
set _value = 'ARM-SERVER-B'
WHERE _property = 'machinename' AND _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
update [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_server_configuration_object_values]
set _value = 'ARM-SERVER-B'
WHERE _property = 'gaffermachinenames.0' AND _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
update [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_server_configuration_object_values]
set _value = 'ARM-SERVER-B'
WHERE _property = 'selectedentrypoints.0' AND _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
The number after gaffermachinenames and selectedentrypoints can vary. Which ones are assigned, you could see during the check.
Update scheduled jobs
Check which values are currently set
SELECT [_id],[_property],[_value]
FROM [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_jobconfig_object_values]
WHERE _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
Update scheduled jobs
update [_8ManDB].[dbo].[_jobconfig_object_values]
set _value = 'ARM-SERVER-B'
where _property = 'destinationgaffers.0' AND _value = 'ARM-SERVER-A'
The number after destinationgaffers can vary. Which ones are assigned, you could see during the check.
Install ARM on the new server
From version 2020.2.2: Remove invalid certificates
After copying, on the new server there are invalid certificates in the folder:
%ProgramData%\protected-networks.com\8MAN\cfg\security\server
Delete the following files from the folder:
server.pem
server_private_key.pem
New, valid certificates are automatically regenerated after the ARM installation and the start of the ARM service.
Check the copied configuration files
The configuration file
pnServer.config.xml
located at
%ProgramData%\protected-networks.com\8MAN\cfg
contains information in the database section (tag) about how the ARM service connects to the database.
If the access to the database (SQL server name, instance name, database name, authentication) has not changed, you can continue to use the configuration file unchanged and start the installation (next step).
If the access to the database has changed, the configuration file must be adapted.
You cannot make this adjustment completely with an editor, because the password for logging on to the SQL server is stored in encrypted form.
Rename the copied configuration file on the new server, for example, to pnServer.config.xml.old. After installation, create a new configuration file using the configuration wizard or the configuration application. If necessary, you then copy (merge) previous adjustments from the old configuration file to the new configuration file.
From the copied configuration file on the new server, delete the sections (tags) <database> and <credentials>. After installation, start the configuration application, which automatically switches to the base configuration. Enter credentials for Active Directory and the SQL server. After saving, the values are written to the configuration file and the ARM service is restarted. Any additional adjustments that may have been made in the configuration file are retained.
The configuration file
pnServer.messaging.config.xml
located at
%ProgramData%\protected-networks.com\8MAN\cfg
contains in the sections (tags) <serverip> and <managementip> information how the ARM service connects to RabbitMQ. If you use the default settings, this file does not exist and you do not need to make any changes. If the file exists, you may need to change the entries to the new server running RabbitMQ.
Install ARM
You must use the same version of ARM that was installed on the old server. You cannot upgrade or downgrade during the migration.
Copy the ARM setup.exe into a local folder on the new ARM server. Do not use a network folder. Start the setup with administrator privileges.
At the first step of the installation wizard select Advanced Installation. Follow the instruction of the Installation Wizard.
If you did not have to modify the configuration file, you can now use ARM as usual.
If you had to modify the configuration file, carry out the final steps described above for Variant A or Variant B. Afterwards you can continue to use ARM as usual.