Change OS platform

[tachijuan]

So - we want to change the OS platform that we run Zimbra on from RedHat 4 (32 bit) to Ubuntu LTS (64 bit) releases (or failing that to Centos). We think we have the right steps in mind, but wanted to double check with the folks here to make sure we don't have any ID10T moments:

1) shutdown current RH running zimbra instance.
1.1) Copy all of /opt/zimbra to new server
1.2) Copy all of /zimbra[x] datastore file systems over to new server (keeping the same file system structures (i.e. don't combine FS/etc.))
2) install zimbra Ubuntu LTS edition on new server
3) startup new Ubuntu based coolness

I know this sounds awfully silly to ask, but we are nervous.

Is this all the right steps? Anything we missed?


Thanks for the help and sanity check...

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by tachijuan

So - we want to change the OS platform that we run Zimbra on from RedHat 4 (32 bit) to Ubuntu LTS (64 bit) releases (or failing that to Centos). We think we have the right steps in mind, but wanted to double check with the folks here to make sure we don't have any ID10T moments:

1) shutdown current RH running zimbra instance.
1.1) Copy all of /opt/zimbra to new server
1.2) Copy all of /zimbra[x] datastore file systems over to new server (keeping the same file system structures (i.e. don't combine FS/etc.))
2) install zimbra Ubuntu LTS edition on new server
3) startup new Ubuntu based coolness

I know this sounds awfully silly to ask, but we are nervous.

Is this all the right steps? Anything we missed?

That won't work, you need an LDAP dump to go to 64bit. Forum threads that cover the move: site:zimbra.com +"32bit to 64bit" - Yahoo! Search Results specifically the following article in the wiki: Network Edition: Moving from 32-bit to 64-bit Server - Zimbra :: Wiki - obviously leave out the NE parts of that. I'd also suggest you move to a CentOS server but that's just my preferred choice of distribution.

[tachijuan]

Jeez. OK - so this became even a bigger project.

That's a mess.

How about if we kept it 32 bit and we wanted to go from RH4 to Centos 4 (32bit)? would the steps above be the complete process then? We'll deal with the 64bit transition when we have more time to plan it appropriately.

(our RH subscription expired and we don't have the budget for a new one . I know, I know. Production on non-supported stuff)

Thanks again....

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by tachijuan

Jeez. OK - so this became even a bigger project.

That's a mess.

It isn't a mess, it fairly straightforward.

Originally Posted by tachijuan

How about if we kept it 32 bit and we wanted to go from RH4 to Centos 4 (32bit)? would the steps above be the complete process then? We'll deal with the 64bit transition when we have more time to plan it appropriately.

In my opinion you might as well make the transittion to 64bit now,32bit distributions are deprecated in the next major release of Zimbra (i.e. Zimbra 7) and only 64bit will be supported from the next major release after that. I'd still suggest you migrate to a 64bit CentOS system, do a test run and see how it goes.