COBRAS run multiple pass method.

[Tommer Catlin]

I dont have a lab handy and was wondering if anyone has done this approach:

COBRAS export everything out off Unity 4.2

COBRAS import to CUC, but only Subscribers first no messages  *then* I

COBRAS import to CUC, no subscribers, just CallHandlers. (This way CHs get linked to the new Subscribers correctly)

Test everything in CUC, then do one last

COBRAS import to CUC of Subscribers and Messages, essential overwriting the existing accounts. (case they changed their PINs, etc)

Granted, users will NOT have access to the new server while have testing completed.  The last pass through of COBRAS will update everything be ready for next day.

To lab test 1000 users is going to take forever.....  I think this will work

Cheers!

[Bradford Magnani]

Hey Tommer,

I had a customer call just last week who did this with their cutover (did it in stages).  They didn't have 1,000 users, though.  A few hundred but everything seemed to work out just fine.

I'll still leave the floor open to anyone out there who has possibly done this first hand..

Hope that helps,

Brad

[Tommer Catlin]

Hi Brad

Yeah, Im pretty sure I have done one like this before, but I cant remember...  (ugg).   My lab is not working right now and I need to complete this asap.  Anyways, Im going to go for it anyways.  I can report back on how I did this.  The old Unity server is sloooow with Exchange onbox.  Should be interesting to see how long this takes.  Im assuming multiple passes will work fine.

Cheers and thanks for the input!

[Tommer Catlin]

If this works, can I tell Jeff to label this "Multiple Pass Method" in the help file?!

[lindborg]

Sure this will work – the separate pass for call handlers 2^nd is unnecessary, however – thinks link up just fine in a single pass there.  But skipping messages until right before you cut over is common and COBRAS has the feature of restoring JUST messages for existing users on the last page of the import wizard exactly for this reason – folks want to setup their directory imports ahead of time and then the night of cut over do another export to get messages as close to cutover as possible and import just messages, not fiddle with greetings/PWs etc…

Either way, you can run imports as many times as you want – I’ve done this dozens and dozens of times on the same system – COBRAS is designed to allow for exactly this.

[Tommer Catlin]

Thanks Jeff and Brad.   I was not sure about the running it twice just for call handlers.  I know at one point I had an issue with  linking call handlers and subscribers in the same pass, but looks like it has been fixed.

I will update when I go through this.   My export with voicemails was lucky... 2+ hours only.. so they must have not had many voicemails.

Cheers!