Migrating 4.1(x) to 5.1(x) 1

[snootalope]

Hello, I'm in the planning stage of upgrading our CM's from version 4.1(2) to 5.1(1b) - we've got SMARTNET here so I just ordered the upgrade DVD's from Cisco. Product# CM5.1-K9-UPG=

Anyhow, I see there's a data migration tool out there for moving data from the Microsoft format to Linux. That's my single most biggest concern. We fortunately don't have any SIP devices here so I don't have to mess with that, but I'm a little nervous about running an OS I cant even access!

Anyone else upgrade to 5.x yet? What did you think? Is it worth the upgrade? How was the transition/migration from Windows to Linux? Did you have any trouble migrating?

Just looking for opinions and suggestions I guess, I always hate doing upgrades, and this will be my first moving away from Microsoft!

 

[pndscm]

I just upgraded my Lab system from CCM 4.1.3 to 5.1.1. I didn't have any problems. Follow the instructions and you should be OK. I would mirror up a spare HD just in case though.
I built a few dummy phones in CCM 4.1.3 and they were all there in CCM 5.1. Weird thing is, I can't delete the 'non-licensed' phones and recapture the DLU's. I can change the dummy MAC's to real MAC's and that's OK. But I can't delete a dummy 7970 and build a 7961.
The only issue I had was, even though my phones worked incoming and outgoing, neither my PRI nor any phones showed Status, ie, IP address or registered. I only played with it for about an hour though before I had to go back and do 'real' work.

 

[netometer]

Hi,
I would be glad to try this upgrade - I have 4.1(2) on my test network, but unfortunately I don't have the upgarde package.

Dean

http://www.netometer.net/support/

 

[snootalope]

pndscm - just wanna make sure I got this right. When upgrading from 4.1(x) to 5.x - a backup is made of 4.1 and then the Data Migration Assistant is used to make an importable copy for 5.1 once it's installed. But, the process of installing 5.1 includes completely wiping out 4.1 and putting on the fresh image right?

Beings both my pub and sub have mirrored drives, I'm thinking I'll just take one drive from each machine out before doing anything, that'll leave me a good backup/restore point if anything goes haywire...

 

[snootalope]

Oh, I should have asked this too. What's the deal with the licenses now? I thought all the phones carried their own licenses.. We don't have to do anything special with the phones to make them work with 5.1 right? We're using SCCP loads if matters..

 

[pndscm]

You are correct. The upgrade wipes the hard drives and puts on a fresh image. You are going from Win2k to Linux. The backup you make with BARS is for a CCM 4.1 restore if things go South. The Data Migration Assistant makes a file that will be imported into CCM 5.1. That file must be available from a network drive or somewhere else, you can't leave it on your HD. Since you have a Pub and a Sub with mirrored drives, I would pull a drive from the Pub and replace it with one of your drives from the Sub. In this way, you still have a Pub CCM4.1 drive in case the upgrade doesn't go well. If you only have one drive in the Pub during the upgrade, your RAID may not be re-built correctly.
Remember also, you MUST have 2Gig RAM and at least 72Gig HD's.
As for the license issue, it may have just been with my upgrade. In CCM 4.1 you bought a $150 license for each phone but CCM never checked for it. In CCM 5. you buy a $50 Device License Unit. Each phone takes from 3-5 DLU's. No DLU's, no phones. When I upgraded, my License Manager actually shows me with -65 DLU's, meaning I didn't buy any DLU's but it is 'allowing' me DLU's for my CCM 4.1 phones where I bought a paper license. Remember I did this in a Lab environment. I just built 13 dummy phones. MAybe if I had real MAC addresses it would have come out different.

 

[snootalope]

Just curious, you guys with test networks for CCM, do you have test machines that are actually on the Cisco Approved list or are you using just knock off machines with the right amount of resources?

I'd love to have a test lab with all the right servers, but that's a heck of an investment for something that'll only be used for testing!

 

[pndscm]

I use DL380's for the important testing like this upgrade. I have multiple HD's that I swap in and out depending on what I'm doing. I also have a couple old IBM desktops I use for demo's or if I'm called on to train somebody. The DL380's are too heavy to carry around.

 

[snootalope]

Well...i've change courses a bit. I'm no longer upgrading to 5.x - I'm just upgrading my OS and moving to 4.2(3). Pretty much just to keep the Windows OS. Plus, we get our music on hold from the internet via Windows Media Player and the big shots here like it that way...

Thanks for your replies though, very good info!

 

[ADB100]

Bear in mind there is currently no upgrade path from CCM 4.2 or 4.3 to 5.x, only exisiting 4.1x or lower versions can be upgraded....

I have no idea why but if you are running CCM 4.2x or 4.3x then you can't upgrade (currently?) to CCM 5.x. This may change but I would have thought Cisco would have made the latest version of CCM 4.x be the 1st to be upgradable to CCM 5.x.

Andy

 

[pndscm]

The answer is CCM 5.X was built with CCM 4.1 features. Newer/different features are available in CCM 4.2 then what is in CCM 5.X. CCM 4.3 is CCM 4.2 on Win2003, no new features.

This also happened when we went from CCM 3.3.3 to CCM 4.0. CCM 3.3.5 was NOT upgradable to CCM 4.0. This will merge again I suspect with the release of CCM 6.X.

 

[pndscm]

Forgot to mention, snootalope, using audio from the Internet as MOH is illegal. It is considered re-broadcasting and you have to pay royalties. Sounds stupid but I had a customer who was sued for using a radio feed as MOH. Even though it was free through the air, it was illegal to use it as MOH. Big wheels may not like lawsuits as much as they like the 'free' MOH. Same goes for using CD's for MOH.

 

[snootalope]

pndscm, I contacted the radio station and got it in writing that we could rebroadcast their music. They had no problem with it..

 

[jneiberger]

The radio station isn't the one who's going to have a problem with it. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are the ones who'll have a problem with it. It's illegal to use over-the-air radio broadcasts as MOH because you don't have a license to use it for that purpose.

 

[pndscm]

The radio station doesn't care because you are broadcasting their commercials and that makes their advertisers happy. I agree with jneiberger, it's the legal arm of the artists who'll burn you.