Upgrade to BOE XI 3.1 SP3 from BOE XI R2 FP3

[rickmarshall]

We are currently on BOE XI R2 FP3.3 distributed across 3 physical servers and intend to upgrade to R3.1 SP3 ending up on those same 3 servers (This is a requirement). I have done a lot of reading in the upgrade guide and I had pretty much decided upon a side by side installation by imaging our current
environment onto VM server(s), and installing 3.1 onto our current prod servers and then I read these paragraphs in the Upgrade Guide:
"In a complex upgrade, you install a new deployment of BusinessObjects
Enterprise XI 3.1, either on the same computer as your previous
BusinessObjects Enterprise deployment or on another computer. You can
copy the data from your previous deployment to the new one.

After BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.1 is installed, both deployments can
run at the same time. You can uninstall your XI or XI Release 2 deployment when you are ready to do so."

So, does anyone here have experience with a side by side upgrade on the same servers as the R2 installation? Does it work out allright? Obviously, I will be creating all new objects for CMS database, auditing database and repository. How do I need to set up the web server part of the
installation?
Thanks for your advice.

Rick

[denis_konovalov · Accepted solution]

If you imaging your current XIR2 servers into VM's  - why would this be a side-by-side deployment?

Assuming this imaging process works and your R2 environment continue to operate after it (which is not certain) , you can simply delete R2 from original servers and install Xi3.1 Sp5 (that's the version you should be going to) there and then use Import Wizard and import content from your R2 virtual servers or use CMSDBCopy process to do the same.

[rickmarshall · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the response Denis!  I interpret side by side to mean that I will have an operational R2 next to operational 3.1 (SP5) .  And, It is the fact that the imaging to VM might be unsuccessful that caused me to post.  So if I try to do the installation of 3.1 on the same servers as R2 with the intent of having both installations remain functional for a period of time necessary to prove that the new installation is sound, what are the pitfalls?  How do I manage the webserver to be able to serve up both? 

Thanks!!!!

[denis_konovalov · Accepted solution]

Usualy side-by-side means installin on the same machine, so that both versions can work at the same time.

As tho the pitfalls, there are many. There should be some threads on that topic here and some KB's as well.

basicaly, the server has to have enought memory and CPU and I/O + network bandwith to support this. That's for start.

Then the question of ports comes. You'll need to separate both installs on ports they use.

Web server is easy part - you install another one for Xi3.1 on a diff.port. This way R2 users connect to theirs and Xi3.1 to theirs.

[rickmarshall · Accepted solution]

So, we have decided to stand up the VM servers and make them part of the cluster.  All one big happy family.  If that works out, we will start all the servers on the VM side and shut off the servers on the old machines.  If that works, we will proceed with upgrade by installing the new software on the physical servers.  Thanks for your help!!