How To Clone A Primary Server Deployed As Hyper-V Machine For Building A Secondary Server Without Neverfail EMS Web Console

How To Clone A Primary Server Deployed As Hyper-V Machine For Building A Secondary Server Without Neverfail EMS Web Console

Summary

This Knowledgebase article provides the step-by-step procedure necessary to replace a server when the server is a Hyper-V Virtual Machine.

More Information

Initial Assumptions:
  • The Primary/Active server is healthy and will be used as source for cloning.

Note: Before you begin please read this entire article and then start performing any steps!

Procedure

  1. On the Primary (active) server:
      1. Shutdown Neverfail Engine by selecting Leave the protected applications running option.
      2. Open Windows Service Control Manager and set the Neverfail Server R2 service to Manual.
      3. Open the Neverfail Configure Server Wizard by choosing Stop Web Services option when prompted.
            

      4. Select the Machine tab and change the Physical Hardware Identity of the server to Secondary

5. Click the Finish button to save the change.

Cloning the Primary machine.

Once the clone is completed, open the Neverfail Heartbeat Configure Server wizard.
Set the Neverfail Server R2 service to Automatic using the Windows Service Control Manager.
  1. On the newly cloned Secondary (Passive) server:
    1. Virtually disconnect the virtual Network Adapters for Public and Channel of the VM from Hyper-V Manager.
    2. Start the newly cloned Secondary machine.
    3. After the OS boots up, go in the Properties window of each network card, verify that the IP address settings are correct and the Neverfail Heartbeat Packet Filter is enabled for the Public network connection and disabled for Channel connections. It may be necessary to remove ghost NICs. If ghost NICs are found, open a command prompt and run the following commands:
      1. set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
      2. devmgmt.msc
      3. In the device manager snap-in click View -> Show hidden devices.
      4. Uninstall all ghost NICSs without deleting the driver software for those devices.
    4. Open the Neverfail Heartbeat Configure Server Wizard -> go to Machine tab -> make sure that the “Physical Hardware Identity” is set to Secondary and that “Active Server” is the Primary.
    5. Also, in the Neverfail Heartbeat Configure Serve Wizard -> go to Public tab and verify that the Public IP is correct for Secondary.
    6. If this is a WAN installation then open a command prompt window and use the route print command to check if all WAN routes are correctly configured. For more details, read Neverfail Knowledgebase article #115001926928.
    7. Virtually reconnect the virtual NICs for Public and Channel of the Secondary VM from Hyper-V Manager.
    8. In the System Tray, right click on the Neverfail Heartbeat Server icon and select Start Neverfail Heartbeat.
    9. Set the Neverfail Server R2 service to Automatic using the Windows Service Control Manager.
  2. On the Primary (Active) server:
    1. Open the Neverfail Configure Server Wizard by choosing Stop Web Services option when prompted.
                  
    2. Select the Machine tab and change the Physical Hardware Identity of the server to Primary

    4. Click the Finish button to save the change.
    5. In the System Tray, right click on the Neverfail Heartbeat Server icon and select Start Neverfail Heartbeat.
    6. Open the Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client and verify that replication started between Primary active and the newly cloned Secondary passive servers.

Note:

In some situations, right after completing the cloning process, the NICs of the cloned VM might not work properly. In that case you will want to remove the existing NICs and add a set of new NICs to the cloned VM.

Applies To

Neverfail Heartbeat

Related Information

None 

KBID-2990