Decommissioning a server

You use the Decommission Server Analysis tool when you are consolidating existing servers and/or permanently removing a server from service. Whether you are combining two servers into one server or renaming a server, the result is the same -- the old server name is replaced with the new server name.

Before you begin

Before decommissioning a server, you may need to perform the following types of administrative activities:

  • Check each database for formulas that contain specific server name references.
  • Update the documents in the Domino® Directory, such as the Connection and Program documents, to reflect the new server name.
  • If the old server had cross-certificates, make sure the new server has the same cross-certificates.
  • Notify other domains that access the server about the change.
  • Inform users about the new location for databases, including their mail database, if necessary.
  • Make sure the network protocols on the old and new servers match.
  • Replicate all the databases from the old server to the new server.
  • Update mail routing tables to ensure that mail gets delivered correctly.

About this task

The analysis tool can help you avoid a loss of service for your Domino® server and can be used to help build a foundation for a decommission "to do" checklist. The role of the Server Analysis Tool is to compare the responsibility of the source server to that of the target server and to report differences that could cause a possible loss of service.

When you run the Decommission Server Analysis tool, you create a results database containing detailed information comparing the source server and the target server. The source server is the server being removed from service, and the target server is the server taking the place of the source server. The source and the target servers must be Domino® servers that have hierarchical names and that are in the same domain.

Inconsistencies between the source and target servers are marked in the results database to alert you to the administrative tasks you may need to do before you can decommission the server. Each comparison that the Decommission Server Analysis tool makes is somewhat individual. Relationships between analysis items are not determined by this tool; therefore, you need to review each report and make your own comparisons before taking any action. Perform comparisons between only two servers at a time. You do not need to resolve all differences before you decommission a server.

To run an analysis report

Before you begin

To use the Decommission Server Analysis Tool, you must have administrator access to both the source and the target servers. If you do not have administrator rights, some portions of the report may not be completed properly.

Procedure

  1. From the Domino® Administrator, click the Server > Analysis tab.
  2. From the Tools pane, select Analyze > Decommission Server.
  3. Select servers:
    • Source server – Name of the server being decommissioned
    • Target server – Name of the server that will replace (accept responsibility for) the server being decommissioned
  4. Optional: To change the location of the results database or use something other than the default file name DECOMSRV.NSF, click Results Database and do any of the following:
    1. If allowed in the context, select one of the following options:
      Note: In some contexts, you make this choice in a preceding dialog box instead of in the Results Database dialog box.
      • Overwrite database – Deletes any existing results database and creates a new one.
      • Append to this database – Adds new results data to the database that was already specified.
    2. Select the server on which you want the results database to reside.
      Tip: It is recommended that you create the results database on a local client rather than on a server. If multiple people generate results databases on a server, they should each specify a different file name so the results do not conflict.
    3. Modify the database title if you do not want to use the default title.
    4. Modify the database filename if you do not want to use the default filename.
    5. If allowed in the context, click the folder icon to change the drive and/or directory in which the database is stored.
  5. Click OK.

Results

When the analysis is complete, the results database opens to the Reports view. This can take up to several minutes depending on network traffic and the number of databases on both the source and target servers.

What to do next

You can create multiple reports in the same database or in different databases and then use these reports to verify that differences between the two servers are remedied and cannot be seen by the system when you run the Decommission Server Analysis tool. You can re-run the reports as many times as you wish.

To view the report in the results database

The Decommission Server Analysis tool generates a categorized list of items that were analyzed. Each category represents a different aspect of a server's configuration that needs attention. Within each category, items are listed alphabetically. Each item lists any differences between the source and the target server's settings or values. In the Results database, you can view the categorized list of the items that were analyzed.

About this task

Each item is represented by a document. Click a document to open it and view the actual report that was generated. See the following report comparisons.

The following types of field comparisons are done between the two Server documents and the Configuration documents:

Table 1. Field comparisons
Field Comparison Explanation
Boolean The content of the two fields being compared must be an exact match. In some cases, if the field on the source server is not set, no comparison is done with the value for the target server.
Numeric The two fields are compared and differences are reported.
Text list Two text lists are compared and a report is generated if the source is not a complete subset of the target.
Name list Two names lists are compared by expanding both lists to single entries, removing duplicates, and generating a report if the source is not a complete subset of the target. When expanding names lists, all groups are expanded until only single entries remain.
Special cases In some cases, a blank field has a special meaning. In these cases, the specific interpretation of blank for each field is taken into consideration when comparisons are performed.

Comparisons are made to the following documents:

Table 2. Document comparisons
Document comparison Explanation
Connection documents A comparison is performed on any connection in which the server to be decommissioned is listed as the source server in the Connection document. The comparison ensures that all destination servers in those connections are also included in the target server's Connection documents. A report is generated if the Tasks differ or if any corresponding connections do not exist.

All connections listing the server to be decommissioned as the Destination server are reported.
Program documents All Program documents that list the source server as the server on which to run the program are included in the report. No comparison between the source and target Program documents is done because there is no way to ensure that the executables exist or are the same on the source and target.
Domain documents All Foreign domain documents are checked to see if the Gateway server name lists the source server. If one is found, a document is generated showing which foreign domain documents list the source.
Cross-Certificates Any cross-certificate that lists the source server in the Issued By field is reported.

These comparisons are made to databases:

Table 3. Database comparisons
Database comparison Explanation
Mail-in databases, Rooms, Resources, Certifiers, Person documents Each document that lists the source server as the Mail server is reported.
Replicas Any database on the source server that does not have a matching replica on the target server is reported.

A file name comparison for all databases that do not have replicas on the target is done. Any database on the source that has a name conflict with a different database with the same name on the target is listed.

These comparisons are made to networks:

Table 4. Network comparisons
Network comparison Explanation
Enabled ports A comparison is done for both port name and protocol. A report is generated for any differences.
Notes® named networks If the source and target servers do not share the same Notes® named networks, a report is generated.