transfer SW license / database to another server

We have an older SW NPM server on WS2003, and a newer one (SAM), on WS2008r2. The older one is largely dormant but still has some active alerts and a collection of node and interface data that I'd like to export and save, and selectively import into the newer server. The newer one is our main SW server, already has a lot of polling and alerting on it, i.e. not a blank system.

What is the best way to transfer the data? Alerts, nodes (IPs and names, assigned credentials, properties)... anything I am forgetting?

Also, what is the procedure to transfer the NPM license to the newer server - which only has SAM on it?

Thank you!

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HolyGuacamole

follow the instructions in the admin guide to 'park' the license and activate it on the new server. It is a self-service process.

Export the node list from the Manage > Nodes settings page and create a new network discovery on the new server using the list of exported IPs in 'specific nodes' option. There is no real need to export alerts unless you had some very specific ones, but you can export alert definitions and import them on the new one. The only other things that you can really 'transfer' from 1 system to the other is custom properties (Settings, manage custom properties), custom pollers (.UnDP files) and legacy reports saved on the file system.

HTH

Detroiter

" a collection of node and interface data that I'd like to export and save, and selectively import into the newer server."

Are you referring to trying to import that database data from one instance into another? That could be potentially catastrophic. Since pretty much everything in Orion gets incremented when added, you very likely have duplication node/volume/interface/template/etc ID's. if you try to merge the databases, you may end up overwriting the data on the target server with the data from the source (best case) or corrupting your database entirely (worst case).

When we consolidated our instances, i backed up the old DB and attached it to my new SQL server with a new name. The Orion database is kept separate and all new polling occurs on it. The old database is just there for reporting/archiving, and never the twain shall meet.

aLTeReGo

THe process is outlined in our Server Migration Document.

akhasheni

Are you referring to trying to import that database data from one instance into another?

No, just certain nodes and their properties.

akhasheni

Ended up transferring node data "by hand" - needed to see type of polling (WMI, SNMP, etc.), what credentials were being used, and if they worked. Didn't seem to be possible in any sort of an automated way.

There were also default alerts specific to NPM (mostly to do with interfaces) that were not there on SAM: as HolyGuacamole mentioned, exporting them and then importing did the trick although some got broken in the process (lost their trigger conditions).

The installation itself was uneventful and didn't require any intervention.

Didn't transfer the license yet - leaving that until I am 100% sure the new box is fully functional.

Thanks for the help and for the tips!

akhasheni

Just found out that installing NPM on a system that already has a Solarwinds product installed, or uses the same database that another product is using, is subject to compatibility restrictions. In our case, the latest licensed NPM version is 10.5 and it's incompatible (and unsupported when installed together) with SAM 6.1.1. See "Compatibility of SolarWinds Orion Products for Installation and Upgrade" KB.

More than that (and I hope this saves someone else's bacon): according to support, there's no downgrade path, i.e. you can't downgrade from SAM 6.1.1 to 5.5 and keep your data and stats. In other words, to answer one of the questions in the OP...

"what is the procedure to transfer the NPM license to the newer server - which only has SAM on it?"

... the answer should contain: "check that the combination of products you plan to run on the same box or pointing to the same database is supported". E.g. SAM 6.1.1 and NPM 10.5 are not.