Transferring an installation of Kerio Connect to another server or Operating System
Kerio Connect supports two methods for moving the data and configuration of Kerio Connect to another installation of Kerio Connect running on a different server or operating system.
The first method involves using the backup and recovery feature, while the other method involves transferring the files and folders.
NOTE
In both of these methods, the two servers running Kerio Connect must be taken offline before starting the migration process in order to prevent data inconsistency.
IMPORTANT
If you are moving from the 32-bit version of Kerio Connect to the 64-bit version, refer to Switching from a 32-bit installation of Kerio Connect to 64-bit
Prerequisites
Before you begin either process make sure you have:
- Your server license (this is located in the license section of the dashboard).
- Full operating system access to both servers.
- A matching version of Kerio Connect is installed on both servers (old versions can be obtained from download.kerio.com).
- A means of transferring data, either using a portable storage device or some form of network file transfer such as FTP or SCP.
Method 1: Restoring from a backup (Recommended)
- On the source server, perform a backup. For more information refer to Configuring backup in Kerio Connect.
- Copy the backup files to the target server,
- On the target server, perform data recovery. For more information refer to Data recovery in Kerio Connect.
- After the recovery is complete, modify the mailserver.cfg file to use the appropriate paths on the target operating system. For more information refer to Editing the configuration to use the correct system paths.
Method 2: Transferring the configuration and mail store directory
Kerio Connect is installed in the following location:
Operating System | Location |
---|---|
Mac OSX | /usr/local/kerio/mailserver/
|
Red Hat/SuSE | /opt/kerio/mailserver/
|
Windows | C:\Program Files\Kerio\MailServer\
|
- In the Kerio Connect installation directory, locate the following files and folders:
mailserver.cfg
- Stores Kerio Connect configurationusers.cfg
- Stores users, groups, and aliasessslcert
- Directory containing the private key used in SSLSecure Sockets Layer - A protocol that ensures integral and secure communication between networks. connectionssettings
- Directory containing specific settings such as SMTPSimple Mail Transport Protocol - An internet standard used for email transmission across IP networks. rules and images for domain footers
- On the target server, stop Kerio Connect, then copy and replace these items from the source server.
- Locate your mail store on the file system of the source server. This directory is defined in the administration under the Configuration > Advanced Options > Store Directory tab.
- Copy the mail store directory to the desired location of the target server.
- After copying the configuration and mail store data, modify the mailserver.cfg file to use the appropriate paths on the target operating system. For more information refer to Editing the configuration to use the correct system paths.
Editing the configuration to use the correct system paths
If the target system is based on a different operating system or has a different directory structure, you must edit the mailserver.cfg configuration file in a text editor to define the correct system paths.
The following variables contain a system path:
Table | Variable | Description |
---|---|---|
Directories | StoreDir | Path to store directory |
Directories | ArchieveDir | Path to archive directory |
Directories | Backup Dir | Path to backup directory |
Update | DownloadedFile | Path to recent update file by web administration upgrade feature. |
FullTextSearch | Path | Path to full-text search |
InstantMessaging | StorePath | Path to Instant MessagingInstant messaging is a real-time online chat. configuration data |
WebIM | StorePath | Path to XMPPExtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is a protocol used for real-time communication (chat). configuration data |
LogGlobal | RelativePathsRoot | Path to log files |
On the target server, start the service, and log in using the administrator account used to access the source server. If the service fails to start, it may be caused by incorrect definition of the store directory. In that case, verify that the location of the store directory is accurately configured in the mailserver.cfg file, as described above.
Final Steps and Other Considerations
- Register your license on the new server
- If you are authenticating users to a directory service, make sure to join the server to the domain.
- If your server's IP addressAn identifier assigned to devices connected to a TCP/IP network. has changed, make sure to update all relevant DNSDomain Name System - Enables the translation of hostnames to IP addresses and provides other domain related information. records
- If you are moving from Mac OS X to a different OS, you must rebuild accounts that use Exchange Web Services (EWSExchange Web Services - Web services that enables applications to communicate with an Exchange server.). This means you need to remove and re-create the account that is set up as an Exchange Account in the email client application (e.g Outlook, Apple Mail). This does not apply to iOS and Android devices as they only use IMAPInternet Message Access Protocol - One of the two most commonly used Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval, the other being POP3. or ActiveSync.