To prepare your GroupWise system to be updated to version 2012, complete the following tasks:
If you are updating from a version of GroupWise earlier than GroupWise 8, update the eDirectory schema for all trees that contain GroupWise objects, as described in Section 14.2, Understanding eDirectory Schema Extensions.
Validate your domain and post office databases to make sure that there are no physical inconsistencies with the database. If problems exist, you should recover or rebuild the database. For information about validating, recovering, or rebuilding a database, see the documentation for your current GroupWise version at the Novell Documentation Web site.
Back up each domain or post office immediately before updating it. For information about backing up your GroupWise databases, see the documentation for your current GroupWise version at the Novell Documentation Web site.
Collect the information about your GroupWise system that the GroupWise Installation program prompts you for as your update the GroupWise software. If you are not completely familiar with all aspects of your GroupWise system, you might find it helpful to record the information on the worksheets provided for an initial installation:
Basic GroupWise System Worksheet (includes administration, domain, post office, and agent information)
Ensure that all GroupWise Windows client user workstations are running a supported version of Windows.