NetMAX Support

Hints for Upgrading Your NetMAX

Before you begin:

Make sure you have your IP Address(es) and Netmask(s) written down (should be on your original NetMAX Worksheet).
Have your NetMAX Installation Manual available for quick reference. (If you cannot locate your Manual, it is available online at http://www.NetMAX.com/support/index.html).
If your system requires a boot floppy to install, you must create a new one from the Upgrade CD (your old one will not work). Place the Upgrade CD-ROM in your machine, open the file: INSTALL.HTM, then select "Creating a Boot Floppy" and follow the instructions on your screen.

Choose an Installation Method:

A Full Installation (either Console or Remote Method) will require total reconfiguration of your NetMAX. To do a Full Installation, see your NetMAX Installation Manual.
An Upgrade Installation will retain your NetMAX settings, and requires the Remote Installation Method. You must have a remote machine with a Web browser that is on the same network as your NetMAX. To do an Upgrade Installation, use the guidelines below along with your Manual.
NOTE: If your NetMAX was originally installed using the Overlay Method, you must do a Full Installation.

Guidelines for an Upgrade Installation

1. Boot off the Upgrade CD-ROM or boot floppy produced from the Upgrade CD-ROM.
2. Follow instructions on Pages 10-11 of your NetMAX Installation Manual.
3. When your NetMAX requests an IP Address, provide one that is on the same network as the remote machine with Web browser that you will use to complete the installation. Note that after the upgrade, your Network Interface Card (NIC) settings will be the same as they were before the upgrade.
4. When your NetMAX asks, "Would you like to continue with the Console Install?", type ‘n’ (NO) and begin the Remote Install Method.
5. Refer to your NetMAX Installation Manual for the Remote Install Method (pages 24-27).
6. Once you have connected to the NetMAX through the remote computer’s Web browser, select the "Upgrade the NetMAX System" option and follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the upgrade.

Upgrading Volumes For L22Pv2.1

Differences in volume management for RH52Pv2.0 and L22Pv2.1

The types of volumes that can be created in RH52Pv2.0 are Normal, Noncontiguous, Striped, Mirror and RAID5.

The volumes that can be created in L22Pv2.1 are Native, Mirror and RAID5. A Native volume is a single disk partition that has an EXT2 file system. A Mirror volume consists of two disk partitions which are mirrored together (in RH52Pv2.0 there could be more than two disk partitions). A RAID5 volume is the same in L22Pv2.1 as RH52Pv2.0.

The System Volume in RH52Pv2.0 is setup in such a as to allow it to be mirrored. In L22Pv2.1 the System Volume is a Native partition and cannot be mirrored.
The RAID capabilities for Mirror and RAID5 volumes in L22Pv2.1 are greatly improved. When creating and repairing these volumes the syncing of all of the devices takes place in the background so that the volume is available immediately for reading and writing.

Upgrading volumes from RH52Pv2.0 to L22Pv2.1

>From RH52Pv2.0 Striped and Noncontiguous volumes cannot be upgraded.
A Normal volume can be upgraded, but since the Normal type is not supported in L22Pv2.1 it will remain a Normal volume and cannot be reconfigured into a Mirror.
A Mirror volume can be upgraded only if it consists of two disk partitions. The Mirror volume needs to be reconfigured to a Normal volume before upgrading to L22Pv2.1 (then the above applies to the Normal volume). If the Mirror volume consists of more than two disk partitions (4, 6, etc.) it can be reconfigured in RH52Pv2.0 to a Striped volume and Striped volumes cannot be upgraded.
A RAID5 volume can be upgraded.
A mirrored System volume from RH52Pv2.0 cannot be upgraded. The System volume would need to be downgraded so that it is not a mirror (only resides on the NetMAX install disk) before upgrading to L22Pv2.1. Once the upgrade is complete the System volume will be one half of a mirror but it will not be able to be reconfigured in L22Pv2.1.

Suggestions for upgrading volumes from RH52Pv2.0 to L22Pv2.1

Any data residing on a network server is very important and must be handled with extreme care.
Always backup data that resides on your server. Hard drives can fail for many reasons.
Before upgrading from RH52Pv2.0 to L22Pv2.1, do a Configuration Backup through the NetMAX interface. Also, backup all the data on your System volume and any other volumes that contain important information.
For volumes that cannot be upgraded, backup all of the data and then delete the volumes. Once the upgrade is complete, create new volumes and restore the data.
An alternative to backing up the volumes is to setup another server with the type of volumes that you need and then copy the data from that server to your new server.

**Summary of Upgrade Options**
Volume Type	RH52Pv2.0	L22Pv2.1
Native	Not Supported	Single Partition
Normal	Supported	Can be upgraded but cannot be reconfigured
Noncontiguous	Supported	Cannot be upgraded and not supported
Mirror	Supported (2, 4, 6, etc partitions)	Can be upgraded only if a 2 partition Mirror that was reconfigured to a Normal and is supported (only 2 partitions)
Striped	Supported	Cannot be upgraded and not supported
RAID5	Supported	Can be upgraded and is supported