The Smart Way to Upgrade Content Server - Zero Downtime, Single Hop

In our experience, production outages, disruptions and resource availability are major barriers to organizations performing a timely Livelink or Content Server upgrade to the latest releases of OpenText Content Server 10.X & 16.X.

Over a number of years, Syntergy has developed a proven upgrade methodology which includes the use of the Syntergy's Upgrade Accelerator for OpenText Content Server software. This approach gives you the capability to perform upgrades directly from older versions of Livelink and Content Server to the latest releases in a Single Hop (no need up "hop" through multiple version upgrades) with Zero Downtime.

During the upgrade process, Upgrade Accelerator also has the capabilities to select specific folders & content if all the content is not required to be migrated to the new platform. If your business requirements have changed and re-structuring is required, Upgrade Accelerator also has the capabilities to "Re-Parent" folders during the upgrade process.

Livelink & Content Server implementations are mission-critical in organizations. Users demand availability! With Upgrade Accelerator you can migrate logical business units in a company sequentially, while the rest of the company is on the old system. You can run old and new servers in parallel, keeping the data in sync while testing, training and re-structuring as often as needed until you are ready to cut over to the new system. Upgrade Accelerator also supports the moving of Categories, Attributes, Audit Information, Permissions and the Users associated with the elements to be moved with the document.

If you have a need to change your Server Operating System e.g. UNIX to Microsoft Windows or change your database vendor during the upgrade process, Upgrade Accelerator also supports these requirements.

Below please find the differences in the steps required for an OOTB Livelink or Content Server upgrade versus Syntergy's One-Hop, Zero Downtime Approach.

OOTB - OpenText Livelink or Content Server Upgrade Steps

1. Perform UTF-8 conversion if using Latin-1 (non-trivial)
2. If Livelink version < 9.7.1, upgrade to Livelink 9.7.1 (non-trivial) with multiple production outages
3. Build Content Server 10 environment as an intermediary step to upgrade to CS16
4. Production Outage Begins
5. Take database snapshot and transfer to new system
6. Image EFS and transfer to new system
7. Copy search index (unless rebuilding)
8. Update database
• Point to new EFS location via SQL
• Other changes - recycle bin, etc.
9. Perform upgrade
10. Post-upgrade steps (rebuild or restore index, etc.)
11. Application/Database tuning
12. Testing performed by multiple stakeholders
13. Change DNS to point to CS10
14. Production Outage Ends
15. Build Content Server 16.x environment
16. Production Outage Begins
17. Repeat steps 5-12
18. Change DNS to point to CS16.x
19. Production Outage Ends

Note: All steps should ideally happen twice for upgrade testing

Syntergy's One-Hop, Zero Downtime Approach

Option 1

1. Build Content Server 16.x environment
2. Install Upgrade Accelerator module in Livelink (source and target) and Content Server clusters
3. Initialize replication
4. Wait for systems to synchronize
5. Test
6. Change DNS to point to new CS 16.x environment

No Production Outage - Both Systems Are Live Simultaneously

OR

Option 2

1. Build duplicate 9.7.1 (source) environment
2. Copy EFS, search index and database
3. Initialize replication between duplicate environments
4. Disable Upgrade Accelerator outbound traffic
5. Perform upgrade to CS 16.x (target) on duplicate system
6. Enable replication traffic and changes will be synchronized
7. Switch DNS entries

No Production Outage - Both Systems Are Live Simultaneously

With the above options, from the user's perspective, an upgrade will be instantaneous with no disruptions and downtime. For further information, please contact Syntergy at info@syntergy.com or visit our website at www.syntergy.com.