2.2 Replacing an Existing Primary Server with a New Primary Server

If you have only one Primary Server in the Management Zone and if you want to replace the device hosting the Primary Server with a new device that has the same host name and IP address as the old device, you must move the Primary Server to the new device.

Ensure that the ZENworks 2017 version on the new server is the same as that of the existing Primary Server. For example: If the existing Primary Server is in the ZENworks 2017 Update 1 version, then you need to install ZENworks 2017 on the new server and update this server to the ZENworks 2017 Update 1 version through the System Update process. For more information, see ZENworks System Updates Reference.

NOTE:If you want to replace more than one Primary Server, you need to install the same number of servers and replace each server on a one to one basis, either simultaneously or sequentially. For faster deployment, all servers can be deployed to a single temporary zone.

  1. Take a reliable backup of the existing ZENworks Server.

    For detailed information on how to take a backup of the ZENworks Server, see Section 1.1, Backing Up a ZENworks Server.

  2. Take a backup of the novell-tftp.conf and novell-proxydhcp.conf files from /etc/opt/novell on Linux and ZENWORKS_HOME\conf\preboot on Windows.

  3. (Conditional) Take a reliable backup of the certificate authority of the Primary Server.

    For detailed information on how to take a backup of the certificate authority, see Section 1.3, Backing Up the Certificate Authority.

    During the ZENworks Server backup, certificates are backed up for Primary Servers having an internal Certificate Authority and the same network identity (IP, FQDN, and Cert). Also, during the ZENworks Server restore, the Certificate Authority is restored.

  4. (Conditional) Take a reliable backup of database in any of the following scenarios:

    • You are using an internal ZENworks database (embedded Sybase SQL Anywhere).

    • You are using an external database installed on the device hosting the Primary Server and you do not plan to use the device after uninstalling the Primary Server.

    For detailed information on how to take a backup of an internal database, see in Backing Up the Embedded Sybase SQL Anywhere Database in the ZENworks Database Management Reference.

    To take a backup of an external database, see the documentation for the database.

  5. Stop all the ZENworks services on the Primary Server.

    For detailed information on how to stop the ZENworks services on Windows, see Stopping the ZENworks Services in the ZENworks Primary Server and Satellite Reference. For detailed information on how to stop the ZENworks services on Linux, see Stopping the ZENworks Services in the ZENworks Primary Server and Satellite Reference.

  6. Take a reliable backup of the content-repo directory of the Primary Server.

    The content-repo directory is located by default in the ZENworks_installation_directory\work directory on Windows and in the /var/opt/novell/zenworks/ on Linux.

    Ensure that the images directory located within the content-repo directory has been successfully backed up.

  7. (Optional) If there are any TFTP customizations related to imaging, then back up the TFTP files. The tftp directory is located in the /srv/ folder on Linux and in %ZENWORKS_HOME%\share\ on Windows.

  8. Disconnect the device from the network.

  9. Ensure that the total RAM allocated in the new Primary Server is the same as that in the existing Primary Server. For a Primary Server hosted in the virtual environment, you need to reserve the allocated memory.

  10. Install ZENworks 2017 on the new server with the following settings that are same as that of the old Primary Server:

    • Installation drive and path. For Windows, ensure that the installation path points to C:\Program Files (x86).

    • ZENworks Ports

    • Management Zone name

    For detailed information on how to install ZENworks 2017, see Installing a ZENworks Primary Server on Windows in the ZENworks Server Installation Guide.

    NOTE:Install the new server to a temporary zone and not to the existing production zone.

    The new server can be installed with any database engine (preferably the same database engine as that in the production zone, that is, if the production zone is using MSSQL, then install the new server with MSSQL in the temporary zone). After the existing Primary Server is replaced with the new server, the new server will start using the actual database in the production zone.

  11. Do the following on the new Primary Server:

    1. Restore the backed-up ZENworks Server.

      For detailed information on how to restore the ZENworks Server, see Section 1.2, Restoring a ZENworks Server.

    2. Restore the files novell-tftp.conf and novell-proxydhcp.conf, which were backed up in Step 2, to /etc/opt/novell on Linux and ZENWORKS_HOME\conf\preboot on Windows.

    3. Run the following commands on ZENworks Appliance, after restoring the backed-up ZENworks Server:

      • rm -f /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/preboot/novell-tftp.conf

      • ln -s /etc/opt/novell/novell-tftp.conf /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/preboot/novell-tftp.conf

      • rm -f /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/preboot/novell-proxydhcp.conf

      • ln -s /etc/opt/novell/novell-proxydhcp.conf /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/preboot/novell-proxydhcp.conf

    4. (Conditional) Restore the backed-up database.

      For detailed information on how to restore the internal ZENworks database, see in Restoring the Embedded Sybase SQL Anywhere Database in the ZENworks Database Management Reference.

    5. (Conditional) Restore the backed-up Certificate Authority.

      For detailed information on how to restore the certificate authority, see Section 1.4, Restoring the Certificate Authority.

    6. (Conditional) If ZCC (on the new server) Diagnostics fails to connect, then execute the following commands in the order listed below:

      1. novell-zenworks-configure -c MergeTruststore -Z

      2. novell-zenworks-configure -c EnableJMX

      3. novell-zenworks-configure -c ZenProbe

      4. novell-zenworks-configure -c Start. Select the restart option to restart the services.

    7. Re-create all the default and custom deployment packages.

      Default Deployment Packages: At the server’s command prompt, enter the following command:

      novell-zenworks-configure -c CreateExtractorPacks -Z

      Custom Deployment Packages: At the server’s command prompt, enter the following command:

      novell-zenworks-configure -c RebuildCustomPacks -Z

    8. Copy all the contents of the backed-up content-repo directory to the ZENworks_installation_directory\work\ directory on Windows or to the /var/opt/novell/zenworks/ directory on Linux. If you have any issues in copying content-repo directory in Linux, then run permissions.sh command.

      (Optional) Also, copy the backed-up TFTP files to the second Primary Server. The tftp directory is located in the folder /srv/ on Linux and in the folder %ZENWORKS_HOME%\share\ on Windows.

  12. Ensure that the new server is running correctly. Subsequently, uninstall ZENworks 2017 from the old device. For detailed information on how to uninstall ZENworks 2017, see ZENworks Uninstall Guide.

WARNING:After the new Primary Server starts running, you must disconnect the old Primary Server from the network and uninstall ZENworks, or disable ZENworks services so that it cannot register back to the zone.