Cloning ePO

[Dogers]

We want to set up another ePO (3.6.1) server and copy the database over to basically have a clone of the server. Is this possible? We've tried installing ePO, patching and then restoring the database over the top, but we can't log in with it saying it can't download props files.

Presumably there's something else we need to copy over, but what? We'd really like to get this set up in order to test upgrading to 4.5, before destroying our live ePO.

[jmcleish]

Use VMware's converter:
http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/

Its free and I use it all the time to hot-clone servers for an exact copy to take into a test lab - DC's and of course ePO.

Jane

[JoeBidgood]

What's happening there is that you have some product nap files checked in to the "old" server which are not present on the new one. These are listed in the old database, so when it tries to download the files to the console it fails because they aren't there.

The easiest way round that is to make a note of all the products that the old server can manage (look under the "Managed Products" object in the left-hand window) and then check the nap files for these into the new server before attaching the old database.

HTH -

Joe

[palbr]

For communication with ePO database Agent use sequence number.
After cloning DB I would afraid something similar in logs
EPOServer Agent zzzzzzz with GUID {aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa} and IP aaa.aaa.aaa.aaa and MAC 00000000000 has an invalid sequence number; expecting 3452 > 3865

[JoeBidgood]

It's unlikely - you would have to restore a db where the sequence numbers were *higher* than the agent's sequence number, which would mean the db would have to have been edited.
You're more likely to get sequence number errors when you restore a client machine with a *lower* sequence number, for example by restoring a previous machine image or VMWare snapshot.

As far as this case goes though I think it's academic - the OP was intending to test the upgrade, I believe, and so wouldn't have live agents talking to the new server. (Correct me if I'm wrong 🙂

Regards -

Joe

[Dogers]

You're correct - no clients would be talking to the cloned box!

I'm giving it a go both ways at the moment, P2V'ing the real one and trying the NAP approach too on another spare virtual machine. Will let you know how they both go!