Portal Server Migration Steps

***If you are only migrating to a new application server, and the database server remains the same, you can skip steps 5-10, 13.***

1. Prepare the new server for Portal installation

a. Server Requirements

b. Installing The Portal

2.  Note which versions the portal is currently on so you may install at the same versions on the new server. This information can be found by going to Reports > Portal Framework > System Summary > Blue section. The blue section will denote what versions of the portal framework and all modules are currently on. 

3. Contact Passageways Technical Support Team by emailing support@ncontracts.com. This step will allow you to install a new portal on a different server than the portal was previously installed or updated on.

4. Install a new portal on the new server, at the same versions the current portal is using - Installing The Portal

--SQL Server Section

5.  Backup all Passageways databases from the old SQL Server. You can use the script in this article to back up all the databases at once.

6. Delete the newly created Production_Portal_DBName databases on the new SQL Server.

7. Restore the database backups to the new SQL Server.

8. For each database, in the Security -> Users folder for the database, delete any user who is not dbo, guest, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or sys.

9. Go to the Server's Security -> Logins folder and locate the passageways portal user. Right-click and select Properties

10. On the User Mapping tab, for each database you restored, click the checkbox in the Map column to map the user to the database and then click db_owner at the bottom to make the user the owner. Click OK when complete.

--End SQL Server Section

11. Copy the Passageways folder (Production Portal, Sandbox, or Passageways for older portals) from the old server. (Usually located at c:\inetpub\wwwroot\[Passageways/Name of Entitlement])

12. Paste the Passageways folder (Production Portal, Sandbox, or Passageways for older portals) to the new server. (In the folder c:\inetpub\wwwroot\). DO NOT OVERWRITE FILES ALREADY THERE. THIS WILL ENSURE YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHANGE CONNECTION STRINGS. SKIP TO STEP 15.

IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO OVERWRITE THE FILES, YOU WILL NEED TO UPDATE THE CONNECTION STRINGS AND FOLDER PATHS. CONTINUE STEPS BELOW. 

13.  Change the SQL server and database names in the connection strings in all of the following locations:

a. Web.config (c:\inetpub\wwwroot\[Passageways/Name of Entitlement])

i.      Portal Connection String

ii.      Documents Connection String

b. Module configs (some modules may not apply to customers) (c:\inetpub\wwwroot\[Passageways/Name of Entitlement]\Modules\[Module]\)

i.  Announcements

ii.  Assigned Tasks

iii.  Auctions

iv.  Calendars

v.  Dashboards

vi.  Expense Reports

vii.  Form Builder

viii.  Help Desk

ix.  Meeting Packets

x.  Photos

xi.  Polls

xii.  Products and Services

xiii.  Read Receipt

xiv.  Reservations

xv.  Timesheets

xvi.  Vendor Management

c.       Consulting Applications Configs (c:\inetpub\wwwroot\[Passageways/Name of Entitlement]\Modules\[Module]\)

i.     ADBackup

ii.    Apparel Cart

iii.    Blog Featured

v.     In- Out Board

vi.    Invoice

x.     Purchase Order

xii.    Test Taker

d.      EIM (c:\program files\Passageways\Enterprise Instant Messenger\Server\)

i.      AdminConsoleSettings.config

ii.      ServerSettings.config

14. If the Copy and Paste locations are not the same exact path on the server, you will need to change the folder paths in the module config files. For example, older portals would be installed using ‘Passageways’ while portals installed using Expressway would be installed with ‘Production Portal’, ‘Test Portal’, or ‘Sandbox’.

 i.      Announcements- Attachments

ii.      Assigned Tasks- Attachments

iii.     Auctions- UploadedDocuments

iv.     Expense Reports- Receipts or ReceiptAttachments

v.      Form Builder- FormImages and UploadedForms

vi.     Help Desk- Attachments

vii.     Meeting Packets- Attachments, UploadedImages, PublishedPacketFiles, UploadedImages

viii.    Products and Services- Documents

ix.     Read Receipt- UploadedDocuments

x.      Reservations- ObjectImages

xi.     Standard- EmailAttachments

xii.    Vendor Management- VendorLogos, UploadedFiles

xiii.   Consulting applications denoted by ‘_PS’

15. Open IIS on the new server.

In the Sites section, locate the portal that was just installed and click it.

Click the Basic Settings... link that appears on the right side under Actions.

Change the Physical Path to the location you pasted to in step 12 and click OK.

If a binding is in use, the DNS entry will need to be updated to reflect the new server IP. A DNS flush may be necessary.

16. Stop the website in IIS on the old server.

17. Make sure the new portal site is up and running.

18. On the old server, uninstall the Passageways Programs from Add Remove Programs or from Programs and Features.

19. Delete the old databases from the old SQL server.

20. Delete the old Passageways folder from the old SQL server.

21. Also check that mapped or document list folder paths have not been moved and use this article to change the paths from the old server to the new.

This should be done if performing a Sandbox data refresh with Production data so that the URLs point to the correct portal.