Migrate Web Help Desk to a new server

You can migrate Web Help Desk to a different server by moving the current Web Help Desk installation settings files to the new server. When you are finished, relink the application to your database.

You can move Web Help Desk to another server in the following configurations:

• Both servers are running identical operating systems
• Original server is running Windows Server and the target server is running Linux or macOS
• Original server is UNIX-based (Linux or macOS) and the target server is running Windows Server
• Both servers are running CentOS with the embedded PostgreSQL database

Access a command line

Most of the commands in this section must be executed in a command line. The following table describes how to open a command line in your operating system.

Operating System	Steps
Windows Server	Open a Run dialog box. Enter cmd to open a command line with administrator privileges.
macOS	Click Applications >Utilities. Double-click Open in Terminal. This option may vary with your distribution.
Linux (RPM installation)	Open the graphical user interface. Click Applications > System. Right click Desktop and click Open in Terminal.

Web Help Desk directory

In the following procedures, <WebHelpDesk> represents the Web Help Desk home folder. The default home folders for the supported operating systems are listed below.

If you installed Web Help Desk in a non-standard directory, replace the following paths with the correct locations in all commands.

Operating System	Path
Windows Server	\Program Files\WebHelpDesk
macOS	/Library/WebHelpDesk
Linux	/usr/local/webhelpdesk

Both servers are running identical operating systems

1. Ensure that both servers are running identical and supported 64-bit operating systems.
2. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
3. Click Setup > General > License.

4. Click the padlock icon to edit your license.

   

5. In the License Settings screen, click Deactivate to deactivate your license.

   

6. Log out of the Web Help Desk Administrator Console.
7. Stop Web Help Desk on the original server.

8. Navigate to the <WebHelpDesk> directory.

   Operating System	Path
   Windows Server	\Program Files\WebHelpDesk
   macOS	/Library/WebHelpDesk
   Linux	/user/local/webhelpdesk

9. Back up the <WebHelpDesk>\conf directory to a safe location.
10. If the original server is running Windows Server, copy the \bin\wrapper\conf directory to a safe location.
11. Install the same Web Help Desk version on the target server.

12. On the target server, initialize Web Help Desk using the Getting Started Wizard.

    When prompted, select Embedded database (the default is PostgreSQL).

13. On the target server, stop Web Help Desk and the PostgreSQL service.
14. On the target sever, rename the \Program Files\WebHelpDesk\PGSQL9 directory to OLD_PGSQL9.

15. Copy the program files in the <WebHelpDesk?\PGSQL13 directory from the old Web Help Desk installation to \Program Files\WebHelpDesk\ on the target server.

    If needed, you can move the directory to a different location.
16. On the target server, navigate to the conf directory.
• Windows Server: <WebHelpDesk>\bin\wrapper\conf
• Linux and macOS: <WebHelpDesk>/conf

17. Copy the conf directory files from the original server to the same location on the target server.

    Operating System	Files
    Windows Server	keystore.jks whd.conf labels\CustomLabels*.properties bin\wrapper\conf\wrapper_template.conf
    Linux macOS	keystore.jks whd.conf labels/CustomLabels*.properties

18. Start Web Help Desk on the target server.

    If the target server domain host name is identical to the original server domain host name, you are finished.

    If the target server domain host name is different from the original server domain host name, perform the following steps:

    1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
    2. Click Setup > General > Options.

    3. In the Server DNS Name field, enter the new server DNS name. If Web Help Desk is not running on port 80, specify the port in the field (for example, mycompany.com:8081).

       

       If Web Help Desk is configured to use SSL, select Always in the Force HTTPS field to enable URLs to use HTTPS for all requests.

       

    4. Click Save.
19. Log in to the Web Help Desk Administrator Console as an administrator.
20. Click Setup > General > License.

21. Click the padlock icon.

    

22. Reactivate your license using online or offline activation.

Original server is running Windows Server and the target server is running Linux or macOS

1. Ensure that both servers are running identical 64-bit operating systems.
2. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
3. Click Setup > General > License.

4. Click the padlock next to your license.

   

5. In the License Settings screen, click Deactivate to deactivate your license.

   

6. Log out of the Web Help Desk Administrator Console.
7. Stop Web Help Desk on the original server.
8. Back up the following directories to a safe location:
   • <WebHelpDesk>/conf
   • whd\bin\wrapper\conf
9. Install an identical Web Help Desk version on the target server.

10. Initialize Web Help Desk using the Getting Started Wizard.

    When prompted, select the default PostgreSQL embedded database.

11. Log in to Web Help Desk using admin/admin credentials.
12. Click Setup > General > Database.

13. Click the Vendor drop-down menu and point Web Help Desk to your original database. For example, PostgreSQL.

    

14. Verify that all database connection settings are correct.

    If the original server connected to an embedded PostgreSQL database, use port 20293.

15. Click Save.
16. Stop Web Help Desk on the target server.

17. Navigate to the conf directory on the target server.

    Operating System	Path
    Windows Server	<WebHelpDesk>\bin\wrapper\conf
    Linux macOS	<WebHelpDesk>/conf

18. Copy the following files from the original server to the same location on the target server:
    • keystore.jks
    • whd.conf
    • labels/CustomLabels*.properties

19. If you use custom VM arguments in the \bin\wrapper\conf\wrapper_template.conf file, add them to the JAVA_OPTS parameter in the /conf/whd.conf file.

    For example:

    JAVA_OPTS="-Darg1=true -Darg2=true"

20. Start Web Help Desk on the target server.

    If the target server domain host name is identical to the original server domain host name, you are finished.

    If the target server domain host name is different from the original server domain host name, perform the following steps:

    1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
    2. Click Setup > General > Options.

    3. In the Server DNS Name field, enter the new server DNS name.

       

    4. Click Save.
21. Log in to the Web Help Desk Administrator Console as an administrator.
22. Click Setup > General > License.

23. Click the padlock icon.

    

24. Reactivate your license using online or offline activation.

Original server is UNIX-based (Linux or macOS) and the target server is running Windows Server

1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
2. Click Setup > General > License.

3. Click the padlock next to your license.

   

4. In the License Settings screen, click Deactivate to deactivate your license.

   

5. Log out of the Web Help Desk Administrator Console.
6. Stop Web Help Desk on the original server.
7. Navigate to the <WebHelpDesk> directory.

   • macOS: /Library/WebHelpDesk

   • Windows Server: \Program Files\WebHelpDesk

   • Linux: /user/local/webhelpdesk

8. Back up the <WebHelpDesk>/conf directory to a safe location.
9. Install an identical Web Help Desk version on the target server.

10. Initialize Web Help Desk using the Getting Started Wizard.

    When prompted, select the default PostgreSQL embedded database.

11. Log in to Web Help Desk using admin/admin credentials.
12. Click Setup > General > Database.

13. Click the Vendor drop-down menu and point Web Help Desk to your original database. For example, PostgreSQL.

    

14. Verify that all database connection settings are correct.

    If the original server used embedded PostgreSQL, use port 20293.

15. Stop Web Help Desk on the target server.

16. Navigate to the conf directory on the target server.

    Operating System	Path
    Windows Server	<WebHelpDesk>\bin\wrapper\conf
    Linux macOS	<WebHelpDesk>/conf

17. Copy the following files from the original server to the same location on the target server:
    • keystore.jks
    • whd.conf
    • labels/CustomLabels*.properties

18. If you used custom VM arguments in the JAVA_OPTS parameter located in the /conf/whd.conf file, add them to the \bin\wrapper\conf\wrapper_template.conf file.

    For example:

    wrapper.java.additional.16=-DWHDconfig=...Helpdesk.woa.properties

19. Start Web Help Desk on the target server.

20. If the target server domain host name is identical to the original server domain host name, you are finished.

    If the target server domain host name is different from the original server domain host name, perform the following steps:

    1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.
    2. Click Setup > General > Options.

    3. In the Server DNS Name field, enter the new server DNS name.

       

    4. Click Save.
21. Log in to the Web Help Desk Administrator Console as an administrator.
22. Click Setup > General > License.

23. Click the padlock icon.

    

24. Reactivate your license using online or offline activation.

Both servers are running CentOS with the embedded PostgreSQL database

The following procedure explains how to transfer your existing PostgreSQL 9.2 database on a server running CentOS 6.5 to a new server running CentOS 7.0 with the embedded PostgreSQL 13.3 database. This database version is required for Web Help Desk 12.7.7 and later.

Before you begin

Verify that the new server meets the software and hardware requirements and is running Web Help Desk 12.7.7 or later with PostgreSQL 13.3 database and CentOS 7.0. See the Web Help Desk Installation and Upgrade Guide for instructions.

Additionally, locate the following PostgreSQL database information:

• Database name, username, and password

• Admin username and password

This information is required to complete this procedure.

Upgrade to PostgreSQL 13.3 on the existing server

1. Log in to the current Web Help Desk server as an administrator.

2. Create a new database login role and change the database ownership to a new role. When you are finished, apply the new log in credentials to the Database Connection screen and then restart Web Help Desk. When you log back in, your default database credentials are protected from unauthorized users by the new login role.

   See Change the default PostgreSQL database credentials for instructions on how to change the database credentials for a Linux deployment.

3. Open a Terminal window.

4. Navigate to the Web Help Desk folder.

   cd /usr/local/webhelpdesk/

5. In the webhelpdesk directory, create a new folder called osupgrade.

   mkdir osupgrade

6. Create a backup of your PostgreSQL database.

   pgsql9/bin/pg_dumpall -p 20293 -U postgres  > osupgrade/database.sql

7. Copy the osupgrade folder to the new server.

8. Go to your new Web Help Desk server.

Move the database to the new server

1. Log in to the new server as an administrator.

2. Open a Terminal window.

3. Navigate to the Web Help Desk folder.

   cd /usr/local/webhelpdesk/

4. Locate and copy the osupgrade folder to the webhelpdesk folder on the new server.

5. Stop Web Help Desk.

   ./whd stop

6. Open the PostgreSQL client authentication configuration file (pg_hba.conf) in the VI editor. The file is located at:

   /bin/pgsql13/data/pg_hba.conf

7. Under IPv4 local connections, change:

   host all all 127.0.0.1/32 md5

   to

   host all all 127.0.0.1/32 trust

8. Under IPv6 local connections, change:

   host all all ::1/128 md5

   to

   host all all ::1/128 trust

9. Start Web Help Desk.

   ./whd start

10. Restore the database to PostgreSQL 13.3.

    pgsql13/bin/psql -d postgres -h 127.0.0.1 -p 20293 -U postgres -f osupgrade/database.sql

11. Stop Web Help Desk.

    ./whd stop

12. Open the PostgreSQL Client Authentication Configuration File (pg_hba.conf) in the VI Editor. The file is located at:

    bin/pgsql13/data/pg_hba.conf

13. Under IPv4 local connections, change:

    host all all 127.0.0.1/32 trust

    to

    host all all 127.0.0.1/32 md5

14. Under IPv6 local connections, change:

    host all all ::1/128 trust

    to

    host all all ::1/128 md5

15. Start Web Help Desk.

    ./whd start

16. Open the Web Help Desk Administrator Console.

    During startup, the Installation Wizard opens and displays the Select your Web Help Desk database screen.

17. Ensure that Use Embedded PostgreSQL database (recommended) is selected.

18. Enter the following parameters:

    Parameter	Value
    Database Name	whd
    Username	The PostgreSQL user name you configured
    Password	The PostgreSQL user password you configured
    Admin username	The PostgreSQL user name you configured
    Admin password	The PostgreSQL user password you configured

19. Click Next.

    The Installation Wizard verifies the database connection settings.

20. When prompted, click Continue.

    The database is updated to the Web Help Desk release installed on your server (version 12.7.7 or later).

21. Enter your credentials in the Log In screen, and then click Log In.

    The migration is completed.

Troubleshoot attachment links after the migration

Web Help Desk allows end users to upload attachments. These attachments are stored in the database, and each attachment has its own unique URL for end users to access.

The URL used by Web Help Desk is specified in the server DNS information. If the new server uses a different DNS or URL compared to the previous instance, end users cannot access the attachments.

If this issue occurs, updated the server DNS information.

1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.

2. Click Setup > General > Options .

3. In the Server DNS Name field, ensure that the specified DNS is the correct CNS for the new Web Help Desk instance. As a general rule, the DNS name should be the same URL that end users use to access the Web Help Desk portal.

Unable to open a ticket attachment

If your techs open a ticket attachment and receive an error message, the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) is not configured properly. When this occurs, the attachment URL points to the wrong server.

To fix this issue:

1. Log in to Web Help Desk as an administrator.

2. Click Setup > General > Options.

3. In the Server DNS Name field, enter the FQDN for the Web Help Desk server.

   For example:

   support.webhelpdesk.com

4. Set the Force HTTPS option to Always.

5. Click Save.