move post office from novell to windows
Hello,
I have a basic idea of how to move groupwise from a Novell server to a Windows server, but I need more help with the exact steps. I have already installed the agent on the windows server. The path to the post office on the novell server is \\novellserver\vol1\apps\g
1. I have to right click the PO in Console1, and go to the Groupwise --> Identification part to change the UNC path there.
2. I have to go to the Link Configuration to update the IP address to the new server there.
3. I have to add the new server as an LDAP server, and point the Post Office to it.
4. I have to open windowsserverpo.POA and update the home UNC path in section 1.
When I am ready to move the PO data to the new server, I have to stop the post office on the old server, then copy it to the new server, and once the copy is complete, I should be able to start the service on the new server.
If I am missing any steps, or anything is out of order, please let me know.
Thanks,
Mike
I have a basic idea of how to move groupwise from a Novell server to a Windows server, but I need more help with the exact steps. I have already installed the agent on the windows server. The path to the post office on the novell server is \\novellserver\vol1\apps\g
1. I have to right click the PO in Console1, and go to the Groupwise --> Identification part to change the UNC path there.
2. I have to go to the Link Configuration to update the IP address to the new server there.
3. I have to add the new server as an LDAP server, and point the Post Office to it.
4. I have to open windowsserverpo.POA and update the home UNC path in section 1.
When I am ready to move the PO data to the new server, I have to stop the post office on the old server, then copy it to the new server, and once the copy is complete, I should be able to start the service on the new server.
If I am missing any steps, or anything is out of order, please let me know.
Thanks,
Mike
ASKER
I used Novell server and Microsoft server as alias examples in place of their actual names used in our business. That was all.
We have only one MTA in our main office where the groupwise domain is. As for the POA, I figured that moving it would be the same as installing the POA agent on the new server, and copying all the post office files from the old server to the new one.
We have only one MTA in our main office where the groupwise domain is. As for the POA, I figured that moving it would be the same as installing the POA agent on the new server, and copying all the post office files from the old server to the new one.
"I figured that moving it would be the same as installing the POA agent on the new server, and copying all the post office files from the old server to the new one."
Bad assumption. The new POA will have a different name, won't it? I haven't tried it, but I don't think you have two POAs in the same Domain with the same name.
There's no need to create a new Post Office. You can relocate the existing PO just as easily.
Bad assumption. The new POA will have a different name, won't it? I haven't tried it, but I don't think you have two POAs in the same Domain with the same name.
There's no need to create a new Post Office. You can relocate the existing PO just as easily.
In fact, creating a new Post Office will *create* problems, as internal GroupWise addressing will change and the changes will take awhile to propogate. During the interim, users selecting entries from Personal Address Books or the like will have mail delivery problems. So creating a new Post Office will just make your job a *lot* messier than it has to be.
ASKER
Not quite sure of the exact steps to move the PO. In past experience when I worked with a guy in Novell to Windows conversions, he did the Groupwise part. He would create the MTA and POA on the new server with the same PO name on the new server. I would stop the GW agents on the old server, copy all the PO files to a temporary location on the new server. Then when he was ready, he would copy the PO stuff to the proper spot on the new server, overwriting what it created with the fresh install, and then he would start the services. I may be missing a few steps, because he wasn't willing to share how he did it.
ASKER
Also, when moving a Groupwise account from one post office to another, is it possible to initiate more than one account move at a time? When a move appears to get stuck, how can the system be prompted to try again? I have 4 to move. One appears to have completed, but the other 3 are still showing their DB files in the originating location. With their DB files having been created in the destination location, the DB files in the originating location are bigger in size.
You're talking about two different things.
If you want to move individual USERS betwqeen Post Offices, then yes, you set up the new Post Office, and move users. You can move them in batches, but I wouldn't recommend doing more than 5 at a time. If you haven't implemented any coherent retention policy in GroupWise and you have users that have mailboxes with more than 5000 total Items (E-Mails, Calendar entries, Notes, Tasks, etc), you'll have problems moving them.
If you want to physically RELOCATE THE POST OFFICE, which is what I thought you wanted to do, then you make the changes to the UNC paths/IP addresses, shut down the Post Office Agent, and move the contents of the Post Office directories - OFUSER, OFMSG and OFFILES - to the new location, then start up the Agent on the new server. You do *not* move individual users in this case - you're moving the entire Post Office.
Your last two Comments have left me a bit unsure of what it is you're trying to do. Could you please clarify.
If you want to move individual USERS betwqeen Post Offices, then yes, you set up the new Post Office, and move users. You can move them in batches, but I wouldn't recommend doing more than 5 at a time. If you haven't implemented any coherent retention policy in GroupWise and you have users that have mailboxes with more than 5000 total Items (E-Mails, Calendar entries, Notes, Tasks, etc), you'll have problems moving them.
If you want to physically RELOCATE THE POST OFFICE, which is what I thought you wanted to do, then you make the changes to the UNC paths/IP addresses, shut down the Post Office Agent, and move the contents of the Post Office directories - OFUSER, OFMSG and OFFILES - to the new location, then start up the Agent on the new server. You do *not* move individual users in this case - you're moving the entire Post Office.
Your last two Comments have left me a bit unsure of what it is you're trying to do. Could you please clarify.
ASKER
Moving the post office is what I really wanted to do, but since we are a little pressed for time, we ended up moving users from the post office to another one for now. Sorry for the confusion. I should have opened a separate ticket for the user moving question.
For next time, when we have more time, and the steps to move a PO, will the OFUSER, OFMSG and OFFILES be the only folders we will need, with anything else being left behind on the old server? Will these three folders be placed in the exact same directory structure on the new server? This is assuming that the directory structure has been setup the same on both servers.
For next time, when we have more time, and the steps to move a PO, will the OFUSER, OFMSG and OFFILES be the only folders we will need, with anything else being left behind on the old server? Will these three folders be placed in the exact same directory structure on the new server? This is assuming that the directory structure has been setup the same on both servers.
The Post Office directories/files reside in a directory named the same as the Post Office.
So if you have a Post Office named (in GroupWise) "HQ" and it is located on, say, a NetWare server named SERV1 on a Volume named MAIL, then the location of the Post Office directory would be SERV1/MAIL:HQ. Or in UNC notation \\SERV1\MAIL\HQ
You need ALL of the contents of that directory. All the files in it (for example, WPHOST.DB, which is the Post Office database) and all those subdirectories - OFUSER contains the individual user databases, OFMSG contains the Message Stores, and OFFILES contains the attachments. It's a little more complex than that, but that's the basic gist.
So if you have a Post Office named (in GroupWise) "HQ" and it is located on, say, a NetWare server named SERV1 on a Volume named MAIL, then the location of the Post Office directory would be SERV1/MAIL:HQ. Or in UNC notation \\SERV1\MAIL\HQ
You need ALL of the contents of that directory. All the files in it (for example, WPHOST.DB, which is the Post Office database) and all those subdirectories - OFUSER contains the individual user databases, OFMSG contains the Message Stores, and OFFILES contains the attachments. It's a little more complex than that, but that's the basic gist.
ASKER
There are a few other folders in the "HQ" directory in our case, such as OFVIEWS, OFWORK, WPCSIN, WPCSOUT, WPGWRECV, and WPGWSEND. Would it be okay to just copy everything over, or will the system recreate these extra directories after the post office is moved?
The system will re-create the queue directories, where messages are temporarily held while being processed, if they are not present when the Agent software initializes. These directories are OFWORK, WPCSIN, WPCSOUT, WPGWRECV, WPGWSEND. Or you can copy them.
OFVIEWS contains the "view" definitions of various message type (controlling how a Calendar item is displayed as opposed to how a Note or Task item is displayed). This should be copied to maintain consistency.
Note that Best Practices in the NetWare environment include setting the queue directories to Purge Immediate, so that deleted files do not clutter the filesystem. I'm not sure if there is a similar functionality in Windoze, or if you'll be forced to manually empty the "Trash" to keep filesystem clutter down.
OFVIEWS contains the "view" definitions of various message type (controlling how a Calendar item is displayed as opposed to how a Note or Task item is displayed). This should be copied to maintain consistency.
Note that Best Practices in the NetWare environment include setting the queue directories to Purge Immediate, so that deleted files do not clutter the filesystem. I'm not sure if there is a similar functionality in Windoze, or if you'll be forced to manually empty the "Trash" to keep filesystem clutter down.
ASKER
Okay thanks. We will be doing our first PO migration soon. I'll let you know how it goes.
ASKER
Okay, I have followed all the steps by changing the paths and IP addresses in Console1, changing the Home path in the POA file on the new server, and copying all of the files over to the new server. I had to fix a typo in the server's name in the properties of the post office in Console1, think that was the cause of the problem I am having with the test user, but that didn't help after I fixed it. The transferred post office on the new server currently has no Groupwise users on it other than a test user, but we plan to add real users to it again later. I created the test user in Console1 as an external entity since Novell is going away soon. It comes up in the global address book just fine. The POA service on the server started successfully. However, when I try to login as the test user, it says "User Not Found".
The IP of the post office in my building is 10.1.2.60. The test user's post office IP is 10.1.3.51. When it is trying to login as the user, the IP address switches from 10.1.2.60, then resolves the test user's post office IP to 10.1.3.51, then bounces back to 10.1.2.60, and says "User Not Found".
When I send a test message to the test user, it shows "Pending" for delivery in the properties of the Sent Item.
The IP of the post office in my building is 10.1.2.60. The test user's post office IP is 10.1.3.51. When it is trying to login as the user, the IP address switches from 10.1.2.60, then resolves the test user's post office IP to 10.1.3.51, then bounces back to 10.1.2.60, and says "User Not Found".
When I send a test message to the test user, it shows "Pending" for delivery in the properties of the Sent Item.
Whoops! Been out of town.
I'm thinking that you needed to fix the Domain database BEFORE you moved it. After the move, the typo is preventing the correction of the typo from propogating - a chicken-and-egg scenario. Make sense?
I'm thinking that you needed to fix the Domain database BEFORE you moved it. After the move, the typo is preventing the correction of the typo from propogating - a chicken-and-egg scenario. Make sense?
ASKER
Okay, thanks. I ended up creating a new PO on another server, and moving the users from the old PO to the new one, then removing the old PO from the NDS so I could retire the server. I began to get frustrated with my failed attempts to move a PO because I didn't have the steps down.
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There's no such thing as a "Novell server". There is a company named "Novell", and it makes a number of products, including "Open Enterprise Server", "NetWare" and "GroupWise". You didn't say "Microsoft server", did you? It's a "NetWare server".
</pet peeve>
Looks like you have the steps down. Make sure you update the POA and MTA startup files (specifically the "/home" line). Also, once the copy is done, I would rename WPDOMAIN.DB at the old location, so ConsoleOne won't try to use it and will instead prompt you for the location of WPDOMAIN.DB. I'm assuming you're moving the MTA as well as the POA.