How To: Import an Active Roles configuration database from an earlier version (4286806)

Importing configuration data

When deploying the Administration Service, you may need to import configuration data from an existing database in order to ensure that the new Administration Service instance has the same configuration as the existing one. Importing configuration data to a newly created database instead of attaching the Administration Service to an existing database is necessary if the version of the Administration Service you are deploying is greater than the version of the database you want to use. Some examples of such a situation are as follows:

Note: This is a one-time import of the database from the source version. Any changes made to the source server after the import has been completed to the destination server will not be included. This is a standalone import and is not intended to be two working Active Roles versions.

Upgrading the Administration Service while preserving its configuration. Restoring configuration data from a backup copy of the database whose version does not match the version of the Administration Service.

The following instructions on how to import configuration data are applicable to any situation where you choose to create a new database when configuring the Administration Service. In this case, after you have initially configured the Administration Service instance, the Active Roles Configuration Center enables you to import the configuration data to the newly created database.

To import configuration data

1. Select Start | Active Roles 7.5.X | Configuration Center under the Administration Service title | Import configuration

2. On the Source Database page in the Import Configuration wizard that appears, specify the database from which you want to import the configuration data (source database):

    a. In the SQL Server box, specify the SQL Server instance that hosts the source database.

    b. In the Database box, specify the name of the source database.

    c. Under Connect using, select the appropriate authentication option:

If your Windows logon account has sufficient rights to retrieve data from the source database, click Windows authentication. Otherwise, if you have a SQL Server login with sufficient rights, click SQL Server authentication and type the login name and password.

3. Click Next to proceed to the Destination Database page.

The Destination Database page identifies the database of the Administration Service to which you are going to import data (destination database), and allows you to select the authentication option.

4. On the Destination Database page, under Connect using, select the appropriate authentication option:

If your Windows logon account has sufficient rights to write data to the destination database, click Windows authentication. Otherwise, if you have a SQL Server login with sufficient rights, click SQL Server authentication and type the login name and password.

5. Click Next.

6. On the Add-on Advisor page, the add-ons for the earlier version of Active Roles are displayed.

NOTE: The Add-ons must be uninstalled manually from the earlier version using the Active Roles Add-on Manager and from the system where ever applicable, before continuing configuration import.

7. Click Next, and then, on the Import of Encrypted Data page, choose from the following options:

If you have a backup of the secret key for the source database (see Steps to deploy the Administration Service), click Use a backup of encryption key to import encrypted data and then click Browse to specify the backup file. If the backup file is password-protected, type the password in the Password box.

If you don’t have a backup of the secret key for the source database, click Do not import encrypted data. In this case, the encrypted data from the source database, such as the override account’s password for managed domain registrations, will not be available in the destination database, so you will need to re-enter the override account’s password in the managed domain registrations with the Administration Service that uses the destination database.

8. Click Next, and follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the import operation.