Cluster Server Migration
Migration Manager is capable of re-permissioning a Microsoft cluster. However, it requires a more involved procedure than what is required by non-clustered servers. This section describes the detailed steps for a successful cluster migration.
Note that cluster resources are processed only if they belong to the same group as Network Name.
The procedure involves the three major steps:
- Processing physical nodes with Resource Updating Manager
- Processing virtual servers with Vmover.exe (remotely)
- Joining physical nodes to the target domain
There are two variations on the steps that can be taken:
Option 1 (Cluster Server Migration)
-
In the Resource Updating Manager console, add all cluster nodes to a new collection. Make sure you select only the actual nodes and not the virtual servers.
-
Right-click on the collection and choose Create Task | Processing. In the Create Processing Task wizard, specify the processing settings. This task will process all resources except the cluster shares, cluster database, and cluster printers.
-
Click on the Tasks tab in the right pane.
-
Right-click on the newly created task and select Export Settings to File.
-
Save the INI file in the desired location.
-
Open the INI file in Notepad and verify that the settings are accurate and the file contains the desired objects only.
- Run the following command remotely from the console machine against each virtual server, and run it run from the location where the Vmover.exe file and the Vmover.ini files reside:
Vmover.exe /c /system=<Virtual_Server_Name> /ini=Vmover.ini - Using Resource Updating Manager, move the nodes to the target domain (without rebooting). After a couple of minutes all nodes and the virtual server will appear in the target domain.
NOTE: Always move all cluster nodes to the new domain simultaneously. Do not move a virtual server to the new domain. The Cluster Service account is not changed when a cluster server is moved to another domain.
- Reboot the passive node. Verify that the Cluster Service account on this node is changed to the target account.
- Restart the Cluster Service on the active node. Verify that the Cluster Service account on this node is changed to the target account.
NOTE: During the restart of the service the resources will not be available.
- After a successful start of the Cluster Service on the active node, start the cluster service on the passive node.
- Move the resources to the passive node and reboot the active node.
- After the node restarts move the resources back.
Option 2 (Cluster Server Migration)
Follow steps 1–8 above. Then, instead of taking steps 9–13, reboot both nodes at the same time.
Whether you choose Option 1 or Option 2, the resources will be unavailable for a period of time, because the cluster service cannot run using two accounts (source and target). Both of the nodes should be running using the same account (either source or target), as Microsoft documentation states:
"The Cluster service on all nodes must be stopped and restarted during this procedure (changing the account under which the Cluster service runs). The Cluster service must use the same account and password at all times on all nodes within the cluster."
Refer to knowledge article 13599 on the Quest Support site for more details.
|
|
NOTE: Please pay attention when specifying the name of a cluster. Use the virtual cluster name, not the name of a node; otherwise, Vmover cannot verify that the computer is part of a cluster and will not process it. |
Command-Line Resource Update
The command-line tool Vmover.exe, located in the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\Aelita Shared\Migration Tools\Resource Updating\Agent folder (on 64-bit Windows) or %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Aelita Shared\Migration Tools\Resource Updating\Agent folder (on 32-bit Windows) by default, can be used to update resources without installing an agent. The update can be performed directly from the command-line interface or via a logon script.
|
|
NOTE: On 64-bit Windows, an additional native 64-bit version of Vmover.exe is located in the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\Aelita Shared\Migration Tools\Resource Updating\Agent\x64 folder. |
Among the main applications of Vmover are the following tasks:
- Updating remote resources
- Processing roaming profiles
- Processing file system permissions on non-Windows systems with Common Internet File System (CIFS)
To perform the updates, Vmover retrieves the source-target account pairs from the INI file or target accounts’ SIDHistory. The INI file also contains the required parameters. Some parameters can be set from the command line.