Migrating the NetSupport DNA Server and SQL Server to a new server

This article explains how to migrate the NetSupport DNA Server and SQL Server installation to a new server machine.

Migrating the DNA Server and SQL Server to a new machine
Before proceeding with the installation, we recommend you access the server directly. This can be done using NetSupport Manager/School (or a third-party remote control program), via a virtual machine Console (if using VMWare or Hyper-V), or physically on the server itself.

If your only method of accessing the server is via Remote Desktop (RDP), ensure you start a Console RDP session by running the following command:

mstsc /V:ServerNameorIPAddress /Admin

1. Stop the NetSupport DNA Server service on the old DNA Server if it’s still in use. This prevents the DNA Agents from sending new data to the DNA Server during the migration
2. Backup the current SQL DNA Database to a NetSupportDNA.bak file using SQL Management Studio. For further information, click here.
3. Perform a clean installation of the NetSupport DNA Server on the new server using the NetSupport DNA Setup.exe.
4. When prompted during the installation, create the NetSupport DNA database on the new SQL Server that you have installed or install the SQL Server that is included within the DNA installer (SQL Express 2012 x86).
5. Log into the DNA Console on the new server using the Admin user name and password entered during the install (no DNA Agent information will be seen as it’s a blank database).
6. After confirming the successful login of the DNA Console, stop the NetSupport DNA Server service on the new server and restore the existing NetSupport DNA database from the old server onto the new SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio.
7. Open the DNADBWizard.exe located in C:\Program Files (x86)\NetSupport\NetSupport DNA\Server on the new DNA Server machine.
8. Select Setup a Database User for accessing the DNA database and click Next. Clear the Use the Network Login Details option and enter a login ID and password for the SQL user that will be created on the new SQL Server.
9. Select Register a license and run through the steps to register your DNALicense.lic licence file.
10. Click Finish.
11. Restart the NetSupport DNA Server service.

If the IP address or machine name of the new DNA Server has changed, the DNA Agents will need to be re-configured to connect to the new DNA Server machine.

This can be done across the network using a GPO with the supplied NetSupport DNA ADMX and ADML Template files. These are located in the Console installation directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\NetSupport\NetSupport DNA\Console).

The ADMX template will need importing into your policy definitions store on your domain controller.

Once imported, you will need to create a new GPO at a high enough level, so all of your DNA Agent machines are in the scope of the policy and then edit the policy.

In the GPO editor, you will find the required settings under Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > NetSupport DNA Configuration.

Within this template, you will need to edit the ‘NetSupport DNA Server Address’ policy and then enter the new IP address.

Once the Agent machines have picked up this policy, they will then connect to the new DNA Server.