ESX & CUCM: migrate VM/Call Manager/publisher from 1 ESX to another

[JulienCAROFF87492]

HI Community,

Presently, I am working on a training BE7K/ESX on which I have moved forward my config very far.

Licenses are installed on these VM(on the Publisher to be accurate)

My setup is 1 Publisher + 2 Subs.

In 1 month, I have to go on site and deploy my whole ToIP environment. And especially CUCM

An "old" BE7K is already on site

For paperworks & custom issues, I can not swap both BE7K.

I have to keep the "old" BE7K as main.

Then,  I want to export all VM of my present training BE7K, and, when I am on site,  install them on the "old" BE7K that is already on site.

I need an advice: what is the best operation to be done?

   - ON the present BE7K: Copy from datastore? Move from Datastore? Export from datastore?

   - Then on the one already on site: import? paste? move?...

   - What operation will avoid me problems? Especially from licenses point of view?

Thank you for advice, community

Julien

[TONY SMITH]

If your VMs are using the correct IP addressing for the customer site, you can shut them down and copy the folders containing each VM.   At the destination site copy these to the correct data store, then in VMware client add the VMs to the inventory.

[j.huizinga]

You might have issues with the licensing when copying the VM's from ESXi to the other. You have to ask Cisco to help you with transferring the license. When you have version 12 licensing you de-register the product from the original ESXi and register it again on the target ESXi

[Rajan]

Hi Julien,

If all network configuration like IP and other parameters used during installation are identical, then you can take a DRS backup from the current cluster and restore it on the other CUCM cluster by pointing to the same SFTP path.

I believe you are using version 10.X or later. IF so, from license perspective, I dont think you will have any issue as you can just add this product instance in the PLM and sync with that or get the licenses migrated to new PLM by contacting Cisco Licensing team.

HTH
Rajan
Please rate all useful posts by clicking the star below and mark solutions as accepted wherever applicable

[JulienCAROFF87492]

Hi Rajan,

Thank you for reply

But my point was about manipulating VM, from ESX Web Interface and datastore.

Not at CUCM level, and especially DRS as you suggested.

Can you tell me what should be the best method?


* Copy all presently files from VM and paste them in the on-site ESX VM
* Declare new VM on the on-site ESX and restore Call Manager and Unity at CUCM level, with DRS function

And, fyi, I am running 12.5

So my point is: what is the best way to work for deployment? To avoid as many issues as possible, and especially Licensing issues


* At ESX/VM level: copy all files from Datastore to new VM on-site
* or CUCM level: declare "empty" new nuts/VM at ESX level and restore present CUCM config with DRS, formerly backedup system?


Thx for reply

Julien

[Rajan]

Hi Julien,

If you ask me, I would say to go with the second option. Build a new VM with the exact same config as the old ones and restore the backed up configuration using DRS restore. This is the safest option as it wont create any issues as long as the configuration for the VM is matching. This is a better option than copying data store files. And another option is to use Prime Collaboration Deployment (PCD) in which you just need to create tasks for migration if that is feasible.

HTH
Rajan
Please rate all useful posts by clicking the star below and mark solutions as accepted wherever applicable

[JulienCAROFF87492]

OK
1°) Because, paste files from the other BE7k datastore VM, by the way, what do these files contain? Only ESX, HW, IP, data, do they?
Or do they contain some CUCM typical data, like call routing, SIP, users ...?

2°) So, finally,

* restore the .ova(which has exact same HW, IP, ... options) at ESX level
* And restore from a previously backedup manual DRS, in fact y latest correct, with all my management that has moved forward as close as possible to the final config?
This is what you advice, right?

Thank you very much

Julien

[Rajan]

1°) Because, paste files from the other BE7k datastore VM, by the way, what do these files contain? Only ESX, HW, IP, data, do they?
Or do they contain some CUCM typical data, like call routing, SIP, users ...?


Datastore has the complete database in the VMware format files.


2°) So, finally,

* restore the .ova(which has exact same HW, IP, ... options) at ESX level
* And restore from a previously backedup manual DRS, in fact y latest correct, with all my management that has moved forward as close as possible to the final config?

Yes. Build a VM with the same OVA at the esxi level. Install CUCM on top of it and enter all details like hostname, IP, etc the same as the old VM. Once its up, restore the backup using DRS restore to get the complete config.

HTH

Rajan