Upgrading an activEcho server with a mobilEcho Client Management Server

Scenario 2 - Upgrading an activEcho server with a mobilEcho Client Management Server

In this scenario, you have one Windows Server running the activEcho Server and the mobilEcho File Server and Management Server. This procedure will upgrade your activEcho server and mobilEcho Client Management Server to the unified Acronis Access Server web console. The new console also replaces the mobilEcho Administrator Windows program previously used to administer mobilEcho servers. The Acronis Access Server web console allows you to administer both activEcho and mobilEcho from one unified web interface.

To perform an upgrade of activEcho:

1. Backup all of the necessary files following these guides: mobilEcho 4.5 Backup and/or activEcho 2.7 backup.
2. Disable any anti-virus software you have or it may interrupt the installation procedure resulting in a failed installation.
3. Download the Acronis Access Server installer to your activEcho server and run the installer.
   1. To access the latest installer, please visit: http://www.grouplogic.com/web/aalatest
   2. You will need to enter your product serial number for verification before downloading the installer.
   3. The installer file is named: AcronisAccessAdvancedSetup.exe
4. Click Next on the Welcome Screen.
   
5. Please accept the license agreement.
   
6. Click Upgrade to automatically upgrade your activEcho Server and mobilEcho Client Management Server to the new Acronis Access Server. In the upgrade process, a Gateway Server and it's required services will also be installed. If a File Server is present, the installer will upgrade the File Server to the new Gateway Server instead of installing a new one.
7. Select an installation location for the Acronis Access components being installed. If you are upgrading an existing activEcho server, these paths will default to your existing installation location. We recommend you do not change these installation paths. Click Next.
   
8. Please review the services being installed and upgraded.
   
9. Press Install to begin the upgrade. Once the installation is complete, you will be shown a summary of the installed components. Press Exit.
   

   Note: All required components will be automatically installed in sequence. This may take 5 to 15 minutes depending on your server. Future upgrades will be quicker.

10. At this point in the upgrade process, all necessary software has been installed, but you must now configure the network interfaces, ports, and certificates that will be used. This step is mandatory. When exiting the installer, you will be prompted to run the Acronis Access Configuration Utility. Click OK to continue.
    
11. Within the Configuration Utility, the Gateway Server tab is used to configure your Acronis Access Gateway Server’s network address, port, and certificate. The Acronis Access Gateway Server is the core Acronis Access service that your mobilEcho clients connect to and that gives access to your file servers, NAS, and SharePoint servers.

    Note: You existing settings are retained. Please confirm that these settings match your existing mobilEcho File Access Server settings. This service typically runs on all available network addresses on port 443. If you have an existing SSL server identity certificate, it will be automatically selected. If you do not, a self-signed certificate will be generated.

12. The Access Server tab is used to configure your Acronis Access Server’s network address, port, and certificate. The Acronis Access Server is the web console that is used to configure all Sync & Share features and your activEcho users as well as perform all server administration and remote client management. This is also the console the users will use to access the web client.

    Note: Please review the settings for the Access Server. The default settings are recommended. This web console typically runs on all available network addresses on port 3000. If you have an existing SSL server identity certificate, it will be automatically selected. If you do not, a self-signed certificate will be generated.
    

    Note: Acronis Access Server requires that a File Repository location be selected. This repository is used by Acronis’ activEcho file sync and share features.

    

13. Click OK to exit the Configuration Utility and apply these settings.
14. You will now log into the Acronis Access Server web console for the first time to complete your configuration. You will be prompted to click OK to launch a web browser and complete this configuration.
    

Registering the Gateway

In this scenario, you should only have one Windows Server running the Acronis Access console and the Gateway Server, so you will have just one server listed on the Gateway Servers page. This server needs to be registered so that you can administer it.

1. Click the menu button for the Gateway Server on your Acronis Access server and select Register.
   
2. You will be asked if the existing network address for the server you are registering can be used to directly access the server. The existing address is typically the network address that your mobile device users must use to access the Gateway Server, so it’s possible this address points to a proxy server or load balancer.

   Note: If this is the case, you need to select “No” at this dialog and enter an alternate network address that will be used by the Acronis Access server to gain direct network access to this Gateway Server
   

3. You will then be presented with the registration dialog.
   

   Note: If your Gateway Server is using a self-signed SSL certificate, you will need to enable “Allow connections from Acronis Access servers using self-signed certificates”.

   Note: You will also need to enter an Administration Key, to enable the pairing with this remote server. This is done to validate and secure the administrative relationship.

4. To obtain an Administration Key from your Gateway Server, open a new browser window or tab and navigate to the Gateway Server’s HTTPS address. This should be the same address that is listed in the “Address for administration and client connections” field.
   

   Note: For security purposes, this must be done from a web browser running on the actual Windows Server that the Gateway Server is running on. You will not be able to view your Administration Key from a remote web browser.

5. Enter the 12 digit Administration Key (including dashes) into the registration form and click Save.

   Note: Once the server has been registered it will appear in the Gateway Servers list as registered and you can adjust its settings and view its details and status.

Upgrading Acronis Access 6.0 to 7.x or newer:

Once you have confirmed that the upgrade is successful, you can continue the upgrade to the latest version by following the steps below.The upgrade procedure from a previous version of Acronis Access is a simplified process and requires almost no configuration.

Backup the vital components:

The Apache Tomcat folder

On upgrade the Apache Tomcat may be upgraded and all of the current Tomcat configuration files and log files will be removed. We recommend you make a copy of the Apache Tomcat folder, which by default is found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\Access\Common\.

We recommend that you backup the web.xml file before updating. Your web.xml file will be overwritten on upgrade. On versions 7.1.2 and newer, you can find a backup at C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\Access\Access Server\Web Application\WEB-INF\<timestamp>.previous.web.xml. If you have made any specific changes that you wish to retain (excluding Single Sign On, those changes are preserved) , you will have to manually copy and paste your changes from the old file.

The PostgreSQL database

The following method creates an *.sql file containing a text representation of the source database.

1. Open a Command Prompt window and navigate to the 9.2\bin folder located in the PostgreSQL installation directory.
   e.g. cd "C:\PostgreSQL\9.2\bin"
2. Once your current Command Prompt directory is the bin folder, enter the following line:
   
   pg_dump -U postgres -f mybackup.sql acronisaccess_production
   where mybackup.sql is the desired file name for the produced backup file. It can include a full path to the location where you want the backup file to be created, for instance: D:\Backups\mybackup.sql

   Note: acronisaccess_production must be entered exactly as shown as it is the name of the Acronis Access database

3. A "Password: " line appears. Enter the postgres password that you set during the Acronis Access installation process.

   Note: Typing the password will not result in any visual changes in the Command Prompt window.

4. Your backup file will appear in the bin folder by default unless the output file specification contains a full path to a different directory.

Note: If you want to backup the entire PostgreSQL database set you can use the following command:

pg_dumpall -U postgres > alldbs.sql

Where alldbs.sql will be the generated backup file. It can include a full path specification, for instance D:\Backups\alldbs.sql

For full syntax on this command see: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/app-pg-dumpall.html

Info: For more information on PostgreSQL backup procedures and command syntax please read this: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/backup.html

The Gateway Server(s) database(s)

1. Go to the server on which you have your Acronis Access Gateway Server installed.
2. Navigate to the folder containing the database.

   Note: The default location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\Access\Gateway Server\database

3. Copy the mobilEcho.sqlite3 file and paste it in a safe location.

The Acronis Access configuration file

1. Navigate to the Acronis Access installation folder containing the configuration file.

   Note: The default location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\Access\Access Server

2. Copy the acronisaccess.cfg file and paste it in a safe location.

Upgrade

1. Disable any anti-virus software you have or it may interrupt the installation procedure resulting in a failed installation.
2. Double-click on the installer executable.
   
3. Press Next to begin.
4. Read and accept the license agreement.
5. Press Upgrade.

6. Review the components which will be installed and press Install.

7. Review the installed components and close the installer.

8. You will be prompted to open the Configuration Utility, press OK.

   

Verify that none of the settings in the Configuration Utility have changed. After you have verified all of your settings are as expected, press OK to close the Configuration Utility and start the Acronis Access services.