Move workstations and servers to new network

[MarkSyder]

Hi everybody.

The network people have set us up with a new network and asked me to move all our servers/workstations on to that network. I want to draw up a plan of action so that this goes smoothly, but time is short. I am aware that I will have to change the default router and the ip address, but do not know what else is involved or if things need to be done in a specific order.

Advice to help me to do this job smoothly and quickly will be rewarded with points.

Mark Syder (like the drink but spelt different)

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

If you use /etc/hosts networking, you will need to change all the ip addresses in there and redistribute the file to the servers that are moving.

You may need to change /etc/resolv.conf depending on how radical the architeture change is.

You make your ip and router changes in /etc/rc.config.d/netconf (thats not for you but for the next guy that stumbles onto the post. I know you know it).

If you have a test system, move it first, document the changes you have to make in order and make that the checklist for the other servers.

SEP

[Devender Khatana]

Hi Mark,

How is the name resolution taking place?

What are the applications running on servers?

Does these machines have multiple cards?

For workstations I do not think you will require to change anything apart from IP and gateway.
#set_parms initial

will do both of them, also change hosts file accordingly.

Specially for machines with databases sort of applications you will also require some more changes.

HTH,
Devender

[Muthukumar_5]

You can start with trial and error method with one work station and server.

Oral steps:

1) Update on /etc/hosts or /etc/resolv.conf for resolvation
2) Routing settings.
3) Permanent effect needed on /etc/rc.config.d/netconf file for ip-address and routing setting
4) Specified script which will give network rechablitiy status to nearby machine, router and gateway. [ This is important to avoid on spending time with ping etc.. for checking ]

--
Muthu

[Arunvijai_4]

Hi Mark,

It depends on how you configured /etc/nsswitch.conf, if it uses /etc/hosts, you need update. Also, you should change /etc/resolv.conf too.

-Arun

[MarkSyder]

Thanks for the quick responses.

Name resolution takes place by NIS.

The boxes are running CAD software.

They have only one network card each (shame).

I've started noting down all the advice and will give points as appropriate once I've successfully migrated a workstation. In the meantime, more suggestions are very welcome.

Mark

[MarkSyder]

At what stage do I amend DNS? At present, I have one workstation with two addresses in /etc/resolv.conf: the primary one is the old (unix) DNS server and the secondary is the new (Windoze) DNS server.

Do I remove the workstation from the old server or just change the address? And do I do it before or after I change the workstation itself?

Mark

[Arunvijai_4]

At what stage do I amend DNS? At present, I have one workstation with two addresses in /etc/resolv.conf: the primary one is the old (unix) DNS server and the secondary is the new (Windoze) DNS server.

Do I remove the workstation from the old server or just change the address? And do I do it before or after I change the workstation itself?

You can just update the servers with the new address after you change the work station.

-Arun

[Gavin Clarke]

Hi Mark,

What a coincidence, we're in the process of doing pretty much the same.

Do you run DHCP? If so you will need to set up a new scope for that.

Are you moving printers? Do they have static IPs? I think all you need to do for these is change /etc/hosts (or the port for windows queues or both) and the IP of the printer. Unless the answer to the question below is VLAN in which case you will need to move the switch port onto the new network.

This new network, is it physically different ports or are you using a VLAN?

It is good to know that there are people out there trying the same things.

Cheers.

[Muthukumar_5]

Remove dns records of work station and server in old server. Or create DNS records in server as like old server. Update /etc/resolv.conf file with nameserver setting. Try to put new server in the first nameserver line. Remove unneeded nameserver in that.

--
Muthu

[MarkSyder]

Gavin,

Yes, it's nice to know that other people are trying the same thing - I just wish they'd tried it first so they could warn me of the pitfalls!

The new DNS server uses DHCP but the unix systems and printers are having static ip addresses.

We're using vlans.

Mark

[Gavin Clarke]

Snap then. Although we don't use NIS.

Ah no, not quite snap, we're not moving everything right now, which complicates matters as some things will have to get back to the original network.

For printers we are changing the printer, then the switch port, then the windows queue and /etc/hosts. We are due to test this soon, the next few days.

For servers, I think you have a fair bit already, we're not moving any HPUX machines just yet.

For workstations, they should pick up the settings from the new DHCP scope once you've changed their switch ports.

DNS I think I'd be inclined to change the address, although as you can probably tell we are still very much in the planning stage.

Cheers.

[Arunvijai_4]

The new DNS server uses DHCP but the unix systems and printers are having static ip addresses.

You may need to update the DHCP server to block the static IP addresses being allocated to any unix or print servers.

-Arun

[Chan 007]

Mark,
Sometime CAD applications tend to configure NFS, beware of that. Check your exports file for any IP address hardcoded.

Chan

[MarkSyder]

Progress so far:

Built one new workstation and added it to the new network. Made it a slave NIS server. This was successful: the workstation can see the old network and servers/workstations on the old network can see the new workstation.

Next stage: move an existing workstation on to the new network using the above workstation as its NIS master. Stages followed:

1. amend hosts file on NIS server

2. amend /etc/hosts to reflect new ip address

3. amend /etc/resolv.conf

4. amend /etc/rc.config.d/netconf

5. run set_parms initial in case I missed anything in the above steps

6. amend and reload DNS.

Result: failure. The workstation does not boot properly. I have regressed the change and reproduce below extracts from the unsuccessful rc.log. Suggestions appreciated.

Setting hostname
Output from "/sbin/rc1.d/S320hostname start":
----------------------------
/sbin/rc1.d/S320hostname[36]: nis: not found.

Configure Loopback interfaces (lo0)
Output from "/sbin/rc2.d/S008net.init start":
----------------------------
name= tcp_conn_strategy, value= 0
do_sockets_nddset() &stri= 0x7f7f0568
0

Start name server daemon
Output from "/sbin/rc2.d/S370named start":
----------------------------
/sbin/rc2.d/S370named[49]: nis: not found.
"/sbin/rc2.d/S370named start" SKIPPED

Start NIS client subsystem
Output from "/sbin/rc2.d/S420nis.client start":
----------------------------
starting NIS CLIENT networking
starting up the rpcbind
rpcbind already started, using pid: 829
domainname (correct domain name here)

starting up the Network Information Service
starting up the ypbind daemon
/usr/lib/netsvc/yp/ypbind
calling ypset with (ip address of newly built workstation here)

Sorry, ypbind on host (workstation name) has rejected your request.
Checking NIS binding.
Unable to bind to NIS server using domain (correct domain name here)
starting up the keyserv daemon
/usr/sbin/keyserv
"/sbin/rc2.d/S420nis.client start" FAILED

There are several other "nis not found" messages, but I'm sure you've got the idea by now. I ran ypinit -c to make sure the NIS hosts were correctly set but it made no difference.

Mark

[MarkSyder]

Nearly there.

I've now got a workstation successfully migrated to the new network apart from one thing - it cannot mount network filesystems.

I've bound the workstation to the one I built yesterday - a NIS slave. I logged in to the master and ran yppush auto.vol and got the reply "No response from ypxfr on ". I checked ypxfr.log on the slave and confirmed that it was not updated.

I have rerun ypinit -s on the slave and tried again - same result.

I have gone into SAM on the master and modified the list of slaves to make sure this workstation is there. I then run ypcat ypservers and it does not appear in the list.

Any ideas?

Mark

[MarkSyder]

A little nearer - I found a site that referred to /var/yp/securenets and secureservers. I've amended the files and can now transfer files from the master. But the workstation still can't see networked filesystems.

Any ideas?

Mark

[MarkSyder]

Fixed it.

I'll do another workstation tomorrow (if there's a free one), write down every stage of the process (for myself and Gavin!), then award points.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Mark

[MarkSyder]

Thanks again to everyone for their help. What follows is the 10 point answer - Gavin take note!

1. Amend the ip address in /etc/hosts and add an entry for the NIS server (the master server if this box is going to be a slave, otherwise the slave server it is going to be bound to).

2. If the box is moving to a different DNS server, amend the ip address in /etc/resolv.conf

3. Amend /etc/rc.config.d/netconf - change the ip address and change the ROUTE_GATEWAY to the gateway on the new network.

4. Amend the YPBIND entry in /etc/rc.config.d/namesvrs to -ypset and put the ip address of the NIS server (master or slave as appropriate) in the YPSET_ADDR.

5. Shut the box down.

6. While it is down, ask the network administrator to change the port.

7. Amend the hosts file on the NIS server and run ypmake.

8. Amend the appropriate files on the DNS server and reload DNS.

9. Turn the box back on.

10. Assuming everything works, amend the file /etc/rc.config.d/namesvrs. Remove
-ypset and the ip address added earlier (security risk to leave them in place).

11. Run /sbin/init.d/nis.client stop and /sbin/init.d/nis.client start (and nis.server if the box is going to be a slave server - note that nis.server must be started before nis.client).

12. Check that the box is bound to the correct NIS server by typing ypwhich. Check that it has all the maps it should have by typing ypwhich -m.

It works for me - I hope it will work for the next person who finds this thread on our superb(?) search engine.

Mark

[Gavin Clarke]

Hi Mark,

You've certainly provided a whole lot of help. I'm sorry I couldn't contribute I've been a bit busy and we don't run NIS (something about paper bags).

I've realised that when we installed the HPUX machines we had the foresight to put them on the right network in the first place so it is just the Windows machines (and printers) that are migrating.

Thanks for posting all this good stuff, I'll certainly give a thorough read through a few times.

For info you can migrate the printers from your desk.

telnet or http to their IP address. Find out the MAC address which if you've got Cisco you can use to locate the switch port (show mac-address-table). Then change printer IP and default gateway, switch port then /etc/hosts and windows queue.

The tricky bits are the switch stuff.

We found that sometimes the printer needed a power cycle afterwards to get it's default gateway working.

Cheers
Gavin