How to move a DocuWare System - Part 1 (5.1c-6.9)

Moving a DocuWare system to a new server or moving components of DocuWare system are not part of the standard support package; therefore, if you want us (DocuWare Support Department) to perform this task for you we could do as a Professional Service task for a fee.

Changing or replacing a DocuWare server can be necessary for a number of reasons. This may be because the old server is out of date or simply can no longer cope with the increased use of DocuWare. In all cases the documents and index data need to be migrated to the new server in the simplest possible way. This process is described in this article.

Moving Only the Database to New Server (same database type)

If you are trying to move only the database or some parts of it, i.e. the system database (DWSYSTEM), data store (DWDATA) and/or logging (DWLOGGING), proceed as follows:

• Prepare the new server (machine) for DocuWare database. The database could be MSSQL, Mysql, or an Oracle database.
  • If in MySQL
    • Run the DocuWare setup like you were installing a DocuWare system but only install the DocuWare internal database, which is MySQL. If this is an external MySQL then you have to prepare a user with root privileges in that external MySQL server.
  • MSSQL
    • Find the database owner user and create the same user in the new Microsoft SQL server. This user has to have sysadmin and securityadmin rights in the new server.
  • Oracle
    • Create a user in Oracle with same schema name as the old database server schema. This user has to have DBA privileges in the Oracle server.
• Stop IIS services (e.g: IISRESET /stop)
• Close all DocuWare programs that you may have running in that DocuWare server  (Desktop Apps, ACTIVE-IMPORT, Administration Tool, etc.)
• Stop ALL DocuWare services except the database. You need database running so that you can take a backup of the databases.  
• Create a backup of the old database:
  • MySQL: Take a backup of DocuWare databases using MySQL Administration tool. You can also use MySQL Workbench or any other tool of your choice. Tipically you will backup and restore the database using the same tool. When you are taking a backup of the DocuWare databases make sure you do NOT backup "information_schema" and "mysql" database. These databases are MySQL system databases settings and they must not be restored in the new server. 
  • MSSQL: Take a backup of the database using "SQL Server Management Studio". Using "SQL Server Management Studio" you can also detach and attach into the new server later. Try maintaining the consistency when performing these tasks, in other words, try using the same user name in both machines when backing up and restoring databases. Take a backup of ALL databases that compose the DocuWare system.
  • Oracle:  Take a backup of the user schema that owns all DocuWare objects. Tipically all DocuWare objects will be in a single user schema.  
• Restore/import the parts or complete backup into the new database.
  • MySQL: Login in MySQL Administration tool in new database server with the same user that you took a backup of the database. MySQL tends to be case sensitive so make sure that the user name and password matches your old user name and password. Restore the ALL datbases that composes a DocuWare system. Makes sure that you do not restore "information_schema" and "mysql" database, they are database server system configuration, if you restore those database then you may overwrite you local MySQL settings.
  • MSSQL: Login to "SQL Server Management Studio" with same account that owns the old database. In other words, make sure that you restore the databases with same account that owns the databases. If you don't have that account you may have to login to SQL server and created that old account first before restoring the database.
  • Oracle: Restore the backup under the same Oracle schema. 
• Stop the old database server or take the old database offline. We want to make sure that the Authetication server connects to the new database server the next time it starts. 
• Now, Authentication Server is the first server that connect to the database, therefore, you have to change the "DWAuthenticationServer.exe.settings" file to match the new database server information. This file is typically located under %ProgramFiles%\Authentication Server\, open the file with Notepad or any text editor program (towards the bottom of the file)
  • Change the database server or the database instance name where it is found
  • Change the database port name if it is different (most likely not)
  • Enter the new password in plain text. If the connection was successful made to the database, the password is encrypted automatically (afterwards).

Sample:
...
<Connection>
<ID>309b5884-32c5-45da-9789-44d42d4aa4c7</ID>
<Database>DWSYSTEM</Database>
<Port>3306</Port>
<Driver>MySQLClient</Driver>
<Name>AuthenticationSettings</Name>
<Server><SERVERNAME></Server>
<Source type="DIRECT">ASConnection</Source>
<Login trusted="false" encrypted="false">
<UserName>admin</UserName>
<Password><New Passwort></Password>
</Login>
</Connection>

• Start DocuWare Authetication server. If the service does not start then you can check the Windows event viewer for more detail information on why the services will not start.
• Open Administration and go to "DocuWare System --> Data Connections --> Database Connections" and change the name of the database-server, port number, and the login account (if different) in all database-connections. Test the database connection using the "check accessibility" button in the tool bar. Since only Authentication server will be running, just check for Authentication server. 
• After all those changes have been made, re-start ALL DocuWare services. If one of them does not start, the logging event is entered in Windows event viewer. Check the application logs under Windows Event Viewer. 

Moving Document Storage Location

• Document Storage Locations
  Document Storage locations are created in the system level of the administration tool. There are different routes to take to change or move a storage location.
  
  To change/move the entire storage location, you need to find the current storage location path and move the items within that path to a new location (in file system level). Once the items have been moved then you can go to a specific storage location and modify its file-system-path.
  
  If you don’t want move the file cabinet store location but instead you want add another storage location then you need to do the following.  
  - Create a new storage location, which will have the new directory path
  - Now, navigate to File Cabinets --> [File Cabinet  Name] --> Documents. Right click in Documents and select “Create Logical Disk” and then change the “Disk storage location” to the new storage location that was created previously.

Sample Image:

• File Connections Location
  If you use external files for select lists or AUTOINDEX jobs, these have to be accessible to the new Content Server and Workflow Server services Windows user. You need to update these in Administration under "DocuWare System --> Data Connections --> File Connections" (for DocuWare 5.0 - 5.1b only)
• Starting with DocuWare 5.1c file connections are based on storage locations, therefore, you can move the items in file-system-level first and the comeback to the storage location in the Administration tool and change its “Path of storage location”. 
• In most cases when a storage location has been moved to a new location, there is a button in the Administration tool that will help you check the accessibility. Most components under the organization level depends in the system level resources.

Moving the DocuWare Services (Not the Database)

• • If the company name has changed you may have to download the new license with new organization name first before proceeding with the next steps. In other words, make sure the current organization name has been updated before trying to move the system.
  • Close all DocuWare-related programs running on the old server (ACTIVE-IMPORT, Administration Tool, etc.).

  • Stop all services except the database.

  • Take a backup of all DocuWare databases (in old server)

  • Uninstall all DocuWare services with except of the database. If the database is an external database (MSSQL, MySQL, Oracle) then you can uninstall the entire DocuWare system.

  • Preparation in new server:

    • MSSQL:  Make sure the new server can connect to the database server. You can test this procedure by creating an ODBC test connection.  
    • MYSQL:  Make sure the new server can connect to the database server. You can test this procedure by installing MySQL GUID Tools and connecting to the database server.
    • Oracle: Make sure that you install the Oracle client in this new machine. The Oracle tnsnames.ora has to be adapted also. In most cases the user who is going to run the DocuWare services has to be the user that installs the Oracle client. The Oracle client version that you will need in this machine is “Oracle 32-bit Oracle Data Access Components (ODAC) 11.2.0.1.2”. For more information in how to configure the Oracle client in this new server please go into help.docuware.com and search for the keyword Oracle.
  • If the environment changes (machine or domain name), you have to edit the following tables in the dwsystem database: 
    •  DWMACHINEID
      • Column = [domain]
      • Column = [machine_name]
    • DWSERVER 
      • Column = [name]
      • Column = [connection]
      • Column = [settings] (two xml tags (name and IncomingCommunication) 
  • On the new server, restor ethe backup and start installing only Authentication Server and DocuWare Administration.
    You will need a license for installation. If the organization name (company name) has changed, you may have to update the organization name first before installing into the new server.
    • You will need users:
      • Database user
      • DocuWare System Administrator user
      • The new Windows user with local admin rights to run the DocuWare services
    • During the installation of the DocuWare Authentication Server in the new server make sure you select the overwrite option during the installation. 
    

  • Once Authentication Server and Administration have been installed you have to open the Administration tool and test the accessibility for ALL database connections.This procedure is just to test the accessibility before installing other services.

    • Reinstall the license file for security purposes
    • The Web Connection URL may have to be changed to reflect the new machine name
  • Go on installing all other DocuWare services (Content Server, Workflow Server, ...) and if available always choose the overwrite option during the installation.
    •  If some services do not start, you can check the Windows event viewer for information about the error.
    • Everything in the system has to be checked and tested now, things like the storage locations, external user directories, file connections, etc.
       

Adaptations after the installation in existing machines:

• • Server side:   

    • Check all *.settings files in all services or configuration that may still be pointing to old server
      In Windows search for *.settings in DocuWare folders

  • Client side:

    • Desktop Apps need to be reconnected and the corresponding registry key needs to be updated manually in case the DocuWare server name has changed
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\DocuWare\Setup\SettingsPath 
    • The following files have to be adapted on all existing clients. These files contain the connection configuration to the DocuWare server, which may just incorporate changing to the new server name where is found.
      • ...\DocuWare\AdminTool\DocuWare.Administration.exe.settings
      • ...\DocuWare\Client Modules\DocuWare.Wrapper.DW4Client.dll.settings

  • Web Client:

    • Check all *.settings files in all services or configuration that may still be pointing to old server
      In Windows search for *.settings in DocuWare folders. 
    • You may have to recreate the web instances (old Web Client 5.1c - 6.1)
    • Since the server name changes, all DocuWare Desktop apps needs to be reconnected. All users have to open the web client and re-connect to Desktop App. 

Moving the Whole DocuWare System to New Server
Please look at article number How to Move the DocuWare System - Part 2 (5.1c-6.9)