Migration/rebuild of SQL Sentry architecture & switch to EPI

Question

I'm currently running a very basic setup - single monitoring server, 4 monitored SQL Server instances with 2 in the "primary" domain and 2 in a subdomain with a one-way trust relationship, Windows Authentication everywhere. I've installed and upgraded this via the Unified Installer. 
 Now, I need to expand this to multiple domains and I'm hoping to use the EPI to manage it, but I didn't see much guidance in the documentation about switching from Unified to EPI while keeping the existing database. 
 Proposed new architecture where I'm monitoring three domains: 
 
 One monitoring service in each domain, using Windows Authentication to connect between the monitoring services and the instances they're watching.
 
 Each monitoring service can only communicate with a half-dozen or so instances, and only the ones in the same domain.

Repository database on a "utility" instance of SQL Server in one of those domains. 
 SQL Authentication used to connect from the monitoring services to the repository database (as we don't have trust relationships set up between the domains) 
 Portal running on a "central" Windows server in the same domain where the repository database resides 
 
 Questions: 
 
 Is this a reasonable setup? It looks similar to the hybrid on-prem/cloud configuration in one of the onboarding videos. 
 Can I keep my existing repository database and just move it to the new instance (they're the same major version of SQL Server), then start watching the additional instances? Does the EPI installer support connecting to an existing database? 
 Since each monitoring service can only see the instances in its own domain, I assume that I'll need to start watching instances via the client installed on the server hosting each monitoring services. Correct?

Pkelley33 · Answer

In short, converting from UnifiedSetup to EPI requires reinstalling any Clients, Monitoring Services, and Portal Service using the EPI bits/exe. This can point to an existing SQL Sentry DB with no issue, just make sure the EPI installer is of the same version of the current SQL Sentry DB. 
 https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/sqlsentry/content/installation/options/enhanced-platform-installer.htm 
 For switching to EPI without actually upgrading SQL Sentry, you can follow the normal install steps. Just ignore the "createdb" command, and just use the information for the existing SQL Sentry DB in the "addreg" command. 
 
 Is this a reasonable setup? It looks similar to the hybrid on-prem/cloud configuration in one of the onboarding videos.
 
 Yes, I see no issues with this.

Can I keep my existing repository database and just move it to the new instance (they're the same major version of SQL Server), then start watching the additional instances? Does the EPI installer support connecting to an existing database?
 
 Yes. other than some EPI specific tables being used, the EPI mostly "changes" the Client, monitoring service, and Portal components bits. Unified Setup components can even still be used once converted to EPI, though they will not "Auto Update" when a EPI upgrade is kicked off.

Since each monitoring service can only see the instances in its own domain, I assume that I'll need to start watching instances via the client installed on the server hosting each monitoring services. Correct?
 
 Yes. This is largely due to the fact that the SQL Sentry client actually tries to do some basic connectivity tests before passing it off to the monitoring service. So no uncommon to have issues adding a target if the client is not in the same domain. Solution to this is to use a SQL Sentry client in the targets domain, ideally the related monitoring service server, for adding the target. Once added, then any SQL Sentry client can view data on said target(s)

Migration/rebuild of SQL Sentry architecture & switch to EPI

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