vRanger 7.7.1 - Installation/Upgrade Guide

Backing up the vRanger database

Backing up the vRanger database

vRanger utilizes a SQL Server® database to store application and task configuration data. The database can be either the embedded SQL Server Express instance — the default — or a SQL Server database running on your own SQL Server or SQL Server Express instance. If you want to back up the SQL Server database before installing an upgrade, you must use SQL Server Management Studio.

1	Start SQL Server Management Studio, and log in using either the system administrator (sa) or Windows credentials.

2	Expand the list of databases.

3	Right-click vRangerPro Database, select Tasks, and then select Backup.

4	In the Back Up Database Wizard, verify that the Disk option is selected in the Destination section.

5	If you need to point to a different destination, complete the following steps:

a	Click Add.

b	Verify that the default path to the SQL Server backup folder is acceptable; if not, point to a different location.

c	After identifying the applicable path, enter vRangerPro.bak after the last backward slash in the path name, and click OK.

6	To run the backup process for the database, click OK.

7	To verify that the backup was created, go to the selected location, and look for the vRangerPro.bak file.

Upgrading a previous vRanger installation

Upgrading a previous vRanger installation

You may upgrade a previous vRanger installation to the latest version by running the standard vRanger installer. For information on which versions of vRanger are supported for upgrade, see Supported upgrade paths.

 

NOTE: Starting with vRanger 7.0, there is no longer a separate installer for upgrades.

Upgrade from Beta versions is not supported, nor is operating a GA version in parallel with a Beta version. The Beta version must be uninstalled before upgrading a previous GA version or performing a full installation.

 

NOTE: Quest recommends that you back up your vRanger database before upgrading the application.

To upgrade a vRanger installation:

1	Double-click the vRanger installation executable.

2	When the vRanger Backup & Replication dialog box appears, select the language for the interface from the Language list, and click Next.

 

NOTE: This setting applies to both the vRanger installation process and the product interface.

3	When the License Agreement dialog box appears, read the license terms, accept the agreement, and click Next.

4	When the vRanger Services Information dialog box appears, enter the credentials you want to use to run the services installed by vRanger.

 

CAUTION: The user account needed for this step must have administrator privileges on the vRanger machine.

▪	In the Domain field, enter the domain in which the user account is located.

▪	In the Username field, enter the username for the account.

▪	In the Password field, enter the password for the account.

5	Click Next.

The vRanger Database Runtime Credentials dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to configure different credentials for database installation and for normal runtime operations. In addition, this dialog box is where you configure a connection to an existing SQL Server® database.

6	To select an external database, select the server and database name in the drop-down lists.

 

TIP: If the applicable server is not visible, click the refresh icon to perform another discovery.

7	Configure the credentials for your database installation and connection as follows:

▪	Database Installation Credentials: If you select Windows, the database installs using the credentials chosen in Entering vRanger service credentials. If you are using SQL Server authentication, the credentials used must have administrative privileges on the SQL Server instance.

▪	Runtime DB Connection Credentials: You may choose different credentials for use during normal vRanger operations.

▫	If you select Windows, the database installs using the credentials chosen in Entering vRanger service credentials.

▫	If you select SQL Server, enter and confirm the system administrator (sa) password when you select Mixed Mode authentication. Setting strong passwords is essential to the security of your system. Never set a blank or weak sa password.

8	When the vRanger Catalog Service dialog box appears, do one of the following:

▪	To install the Catalog Service, select Install vRanger Catalog Service.

▪	To proceed without installing the Catalog Service, clear the check box, and proceed to Step 9.

 

NOTE: If you have previously installed the Catalog Service, you cannot clear the check box.

9	Click Next.

10	When the Ready to Install dialog box appears, click Install.

11	After the installation is complete, click Finish.

Updating the VSS Tools

Updating the VSS Tools

Starting with vRanger 7.6.3, the path to required files has changed. Upgrading from a version of vRanger prior to 7.6.3 requires a refresh of the VSS Tools on each VM for which they are configured.

To update the VSS Tools:

1	When viewing the My Inventory View, right-click the preferred VM, and select Configure VSS Tools.

2	When the Configure VSS Tools dialog box appears, enter the name and password for an account with administrative privileges on the VM, and click Next.

If the selected VM has more than one disk, the available disks are shown in the Disk for VSS snapshot section.

3	Select the disks to quiesce.

4	If preferred, select Perform application log truncation.

5	Click Configure, and click Next.

vRanger performs the following actions:

▪	Creates the C:\Program Files\Quest\vRanger\vzShadow directory, and populates the directory with the vzShadow executable and supporting files.

▪	Creates the C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupscripts.d directory, and creates a freeze.bat file in that directory that contains the appropriate contents based on your selections.

Upgrading the vRanger Database

Upgrading the vRanger Database

Starting with vRanger 7.7.1, the embedded vRanger database version has been changed to SQL Server 2014 SP3 Express. Follow the procedures below to upgrade your vRanger database.