Administering the Backup Server › Manage Arcserve Servers Using the Server Configuration Wizard › Demote a Primary Server or Stand-alone Server to a Member Server

Demote a Primary Server or Stand-alone Server to a Member Server

Using the Server Configuration Wizard, you can demote a Arcserve Backup primary server and a Arcserve Backup stand-alone server to a Arcserve Backup member server.

The demotion process lets you transfer all Arcserve Backup database information that relates to jobs, media, devices, and so on for the primary server and the related member servers and data mover servers to a different Arcserve Backup domain.

Review the following considerations and best practices before you demote a primary server to a member server:

• All jobs must be stopped on the primary server before the demotion process starts. Arcserve Backup detects all jobs with a Ready Status and places them in a Hold status for you. If there are jobs in progress, Arcserve Backup displays a message and the demotion process pauses until all jobs in progress are complete.
• You must specify Arcserve Backup authentication credentials to allow the demoted primary server to join the domain of another primary server (for example, caroot and your Arcserve Backup password). The process of allowing a member server to join a Arcserve Backup domain does not support using Windows authentication.
• If the primary server to be demoted contains member server relationships, data mover server relationships, or both, the Server Configuration Wizard presents you with list of servers that the primary server is managing and the following options:
  • Demote the primary server.
  • Demote the primary server and allow the member servers and the data mover servers that it is managing to join the new domain.

  As a best practice, you should move the member servers to different Arcserve Backup domains and register the data mover servers with different primary servers before you demote the primary server. Optionally, you can promote the member servers to primary servers or stand-alone Arcserve Backup servers. Likewise, you should promote the member servers before you demote the primary server.

• If the primary server to be demoted contains data mover server relationships, you must reconfigure the data mover server's file system device settings after you demote the primary server and register the data mover server with different primary server.
• If the primary server to be demoted is also configured as the central dashboard server in a Global Dashboard domain and you want to retain the grouping configuration and the registered branch information, you must first export this dashboard information to a temporary location until a new central dashboard server is configured. For more information about how to export this dashboard information, see the Dashboard User Guide.
• If the primary server to be demoted is joining a Arcserve Backup domain that is running a remote Microsoft SQL Server database installation, and the primary server communicates with the SQL Server database using Windows authentication, the new member server must have a system account that uses Windows authentication and communicates via ODBC before you start the demotion process.
• All registered licenses will be removed from the demoted primary server.
• If you set up jobs using a different caroot user account before the demotion, you must manage the migrated jobs on the primary server in the domain that the new member server joins using the original caroot account and password as the job owner for all migrated jobs.
• The table that follows describes database migration scenarios and the type of data that Arcserve Backup migrates from the demoted primary server to the domain that the new member server (demoted primary server) joins:

To demote a primary server or stand-alone server to a member server

1. From the Windows Start menu, click Start, select All Programs, Arcserve, Arcserve Backup, and click Server Configuration Wizard.

   The Server Configuration Wizard opens.

2. Click Demote this server to member server and then click Next.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the configuration.
4. (Optional) After the configuration is complete, you can uninstall the Arcserve database protection agent from the server that you demoted by doing the following:
   • From the Windows Control Panel, open Add and Remove Programs.
   • Browse to and select Arcserve Backup Agent for Microsoft SQL.
   • Click the Remove button to uninstall the agent.

   The Uninstall Agent message box appears.

5. Select the Agent for Arcserve Database option and click OK.

   Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.

6. (Optional) To move the Arcserve licenses from the demoted primary server to a different Arcserve Backup primary server, do the following:
   1. On the demoted primary server, locate the file labeled ca.olf in the following directory:

      c:\program files\ca\SharedComponents\ca_lic
      

   2. Save ca.olf as ca.old.
   3. Copy ca.old from the demoted primary server to the following directory on the other primary server:

      c:\program files\ca\SharedComponents\ca_lic    
      

   4. On the other Arcserve Backup Primary server, open a Command Line window and open the following utility.

      c:\program files\ca\SharedComponents\ca_lic\mergeolf.exe
      

      For more information about using the MergeOLF command, see the Command Line Reference Guide.

7. Uninstall the Arcserve Backup server-based options from the demoted primary server.

   You can use the Server Admin Manager to uninstall the following server-based options from the demoted primary server:

   • Central Management Option
   • Tape Library Option
   • Storage Area Network (SAN) Option

   Note: For more information, see Install and Uninstall Arcserve Backup Server Based Options.

   You must remove all other options from the demoted primary server (for example, Global Dashboard) using Windows Add and Remove Programs.

   Note: For information about Arcserve Backup server-based options that you can install on Arcserve Backup servers, see "Types of Arcserve Backup Server Installations" in the Implementation Guide.

8. Restart the primary server in the domain that the member server (demoted primary server or stand-alone server) joined. This step helps to ensure that the information about backup data associated with the member server is accurate on the primary server.