Unity Upgrade from 4.05 to 7.02 advice

[Joe Botti]

Hi,

  I'm doing a first time upgrade of our Unity server and i'm using Call Manager 4.1.3. It's a single unified messaging server enviroment with 16 ports. The current server is 4.0.5 and here was my thought on how to proceed:

• Run DBWalker and export data using Cobras.
• Build out new virtual box for Unity 7.02
• Power down current Unity server.
• Rename new box to match the old server name.
• Install 7.02 clean on the new box and import data using COBRAS.

   Is this method recommended? I've read methods suggesting building out the new box with a new name and then just moving the subscribers in GSM to the new box and importing the data with COBRAS.

   What methods have people found successful? Just looking for some advice.

[David Hailey]

You will likely need to go the GSM route.  Simply installing a new server and then changing it's name doesn't mean that in AD it will be recognized as the exact same server (each machine has a unique SID).  In addition, when you install Unity there will be accounts that are generated by default and associated with the new server and will be unique. The key to the GSM portion is to remove the association with the old server (on the user's AD object) and associate them to the new server.  My advice is to stick with the recommended upgrade steps and go with GSM and COBRAS.  You will save yourself some trouble.

Hailey

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[Joe Botti]

Ok, thanks for the advice. Couple of quick questions:

• When it comes to the integration of CCM 4.1.3 and the new Unity server do i need delete the old ports on CM and create new ones pointing to the new box? I'm having a bit of an issue finding a clear document that states what would need to be changed on my CM's.
  
• I've never really used GSM before but have looked at it since reading the documentation. Am i correct in thinking that on the night of the cutover i move the users in GSM and the go to the new box and import the data using COBRAS? or do i have that backwards.

I appreciate the help. There is a lot of info to digest.

[David Hailey]

For the ports, the CUCM doesn't really care about which Unity box is registering them so you can use the old

ports.  You just need to make sure you put the correct device name prefixes and etc into the configuration on the new Unity

integration.  If that matches up and the CUCM references are correct, you should be OK.

As for GSM, your order is correct.  GSM moves the subscriber AD user object association to the new server and then you import the data from COBRAS.  You should read up a bit on GSM and make sure you understand any prerequisites and configurations.  It's fairly straightforward but you should definitely read up on the tool at ciscounitytools.com.

Hailey

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[Joe Botti]

From the CM - Unity integration standpoint would this be correct?

• Prior to cutover
  • Install Unity (Do i create the integrations and name the ports the same now or wait until night of cutover)
• Night of cutover
  • Move users with GSM Tool
  • Import with COBRAS
  • (Create integrations now?)
  • What triggers CM to register with the new servers or do i need to break integration with the old one?

I've spent some time on the GSM tool and i'm getting more comfortable with it. I know digital networking has been setup and i created a dialing domain that both the current and the new server can reside in.

Thanks for your patience on this, you've been a great resource for info.

[David Hailey]

If you are going to use the same ports and VM profile information setup in the CCM today, I would create the new integration after you've completed the GSM and COBRAS tasks. You will also need to make sure the old server is shutdown or disconnected from the network so you don't have 2 servers attempting to register the same ports. The CCM isn't triggered to register with the Unity servers but rather the other way around. You create the integration, put in the device name prefix for the ports, and the CCM info for registration and the Unity server attempts to register via SCCP or SIP (based on your protocol of choice). When you install Unity on the new server, you could always just create some new ports (temporarily) on the CUCM using fake DN's and other elements and test that you have integration before you actually do your change. Then on the night of the change, as noted above you could just modify that integration or delete it and create a new one with info to match the old ports that you want to reuse.

Make sense?

Hailey

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[Joe Botti]

It does make sense. Thanks for the explanation.

You've been a great help.

[Joe Botti]

What are your thoughts on using DiRT?

I was thinking i could install 4.0(5) on the VM box restore the DiRT backup and upgrade that version. Might be more thorough with all of my settings.

[David Hailey]

Personally, I find DiRT to be too much work.  When you go the DiRT route, you essentially end up doing multiple installations of Unity on the new box.  I've never really thought of Unity "upgrades" as upgrades but more akin to a re-install over an existing version and the whole process just takes up a lot of time.  It will keep the things that COBRAS doesn't like Subscriber Templates and such but recreating those isn't usually too bad and, in many of the cases I've seen, the upgrade of Unity is a chance to clean up things on the Unity box.  If you need to do a little cleaning but go the DiRT route, then well "dirt in, dirt out" is what you get.  With that said, DiRT can be a viable route if you want to go that way.  I would still recommend COBRAS.

Hailey

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