Unity 4 -> 7 SW/HW migration approach

[jedellerby]

Hi,

Before I embark on too much reading and viewing of videos I'd like to check what the best approach should be to migrate from a single Unity 4.0.5 on old hardware to Unity 7.0 on new hardware. The users are VM only and the box is standalone (AD and Exchange on the box).

From what I can understand I should be:

- Export Unity data using COBRAS

- Build new Unity 7/W2K3 server with Exchange datastore colocated (new build)

- Import data with COBRAS

No doubt there's some Unity config work to do before and after COBRAS, but is this roughly the right direction? I can tune the detail as I read up on this but as Unity is a pretty big subject I want to narrow down my reading as best I can.

Thanks

Jed

[Scott Hills]

Cobras will most likely be the easiers path to take. This would prevent you from having to load 4.0.5 on new server and restore a DIRT backup and then upgrade to 7.

Instead Cobras is a few less steps.

Do recommend you watch the videos as you suggested you might do:

http://ciscounitytools.com/Applications/General/COBRAS/COBRAS.html

Also be sure to look at the Cobras help file as this documents what Cobras does not backup:

COBRAS Does Not Get:

• Class      of Service
• Restriction      tables
• Name      Lookup Handlers (a.k.a. Directory Handlers)
• Locations
• Contacts      (includes SMTP/AMIS/Bridge/VPIM subscribers)
• Holidays
• System      configuration data such as switch configuration, LDAP integration  details,      IMAP login data, RSA configuration, advanced settings etc..
• Subscriber      templates
• Password      policy information
• Secure      (encrypted) messages from Connection 1.2.  Connection 7.x exports and Unity 5.0 and later export  include the      option to include secure messages in the backup, however this is  off by      default.  If you’ve selected to      backup messages for subscribers on Connection 1.2, secure messages  will      not be included. If only part of the message is secure (such as a      forwarded message with introduction) then that message part will  not be      playable when restored to another server.  See the “A  Word About Secure Messages”      for more details on secure message support in COBRAS.

IMPORTANT  NOTE: Phone passwords (PINs) from Unity 7.0, Connection 7.0 and Connection 1.2 backups will NOT be restored when importing those users into Connection 7.0 systems.  This  has to do with a missing functionality in the credentials management system in the 7.0 releases.  This was addressed in the 7.1(3) release of Connection at which point COBRAS provides PIN support for all three  versions.

A more detailed list of what’s included and not  included in COBRAS backup and restore see the Data  Backed Up and Restored  7 section.

Just helps to know everything up front.

Thanks,

Scott

[jedellerby]

As a follow up, the Unity 4 -> 7 migration is now complete and has been succesful. The basic process was as planned with some subtle additions:

1) Build and test new Unity 7

2) Integrate Unity 7 to point to Call Manager cluster on a new pilot number and test

3) Run COBRAS export on old Unity 4 with no messages imported

4) Run COBRAS import on new Unity 7 and test system with new subscribers

5) Rerun COBRAS export, but now exporting VMs

6) Rerun COOBRAS import on Unity 7 to import VMs

7) Switch legacy VM pilot number on Call Manager to point to new Unity 7 system so now all VM is via new Unity 7

8) Disable old Unity 4 system

I also had an additional complication that I was migrating users from CM4.2 to CUCM7 on new HW, so had to factor in a dual switch integration but essentially the same process was followed. I just had an extra step to repoint the MWI out via the new CUCM7 switch, which I chnaged via the Bulk Edit utility.

Jed