Moving The AutoDesk Vault Out of SQL 2005 Express On Windows XP Pro And Into SQL 2008 Standard

We have been having a bit of an adventure taking a client’s maxed SQL 2005 Express based AutoDesk Vault 2008 database content into a full SQL 2008 Standard database structure and then tying it into AutoDesk Vault 2009 and AutoDesk DMS 2009.

Note that an overview of the actual steps to get things going happen at the bottom of the post. What follows is the ongoing odyssey that we have had trying to follow the various AutoDesk instructions and posts online that we pulled up for the various errors we encountered.

It is important to have the Advanced Configuration Guide at hand for this process. Note that the link below is a search for it since any links on the AutoDesk forums seem to be broken:

• Bing Search: Autodesk Vault Advanced Configuration Guide

The SQL instance upgrade  process required is as follows:

1. Install SQL 2008 Express and Upgrade the AutoDeskVault instance.
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2. Upgrade the SQL 2008 Express instance using the SQL 2008 Standard install routine in maintenance mode.
   • 
   • Note the version difference between the two screenshots.

Now, in this case the Vault and its respective database are running on top of Windows XP Professional. So, we end up with the following when running SQL 2008 Standard in maintenance mode to upgrade the instance:

As a result, we took the safe route and did the following:

1. Installed SQL 2008 Express x64 on the soon to be SQL 2008 Standard server
2. Detached the databases from the workstation SQL 2008 Express AutoDeskVault instance
3. Copied them over to the SQL 2008 server
4. Install SQL 2008 Express Edition:
   1. 
   2.  
   3. 
   4. 
   5. 
   6.    
5. Attach the AutoDesk Vault and other databases to SQL 2008 Express now installed on the server.
6. Run the maintenance mode install routine from the SQL 2008 Standard DVD to upgrade the AutoDeskVault instance.
7. Reset the SA password to the AutoDesk defaults just in case.

Make sure that if SQL 2005 Management Express is installed that it is removed before installing the SQL 2008 Management Express tools.

There are also some key steps that need to happen on the SQL 2008 Standard instance such as disabling the password security features and more.

As always, it is a good idea to make sure to read through the documentation carefully and then work them to the particular circumstances we happen to be in! ;)

***

This post has been sitting open since we started this whole process this yesterday!

It turns out that we were bitten by the SQL 2008 Standard _For Small Business_ bug. How is that?

Well, we went to do the Edition Upgrade via the SQL Server Installation Center:

We keyed in our product key and ran through _all_ of the steps until we hit a roadblock that said we were unable to install the current SQL edition on the OS we were installing it on.

That really took us for a loop as we had already gone through and installed this particular SQL 2008 Standard (now for Small Business) on its own with no problems.

So, we ended up detaching the Vault databases from the SQL 2008 Express that we had installed on the server (we were following the AutoDesk instructions to the letter), moving the databases into a safe place, uninstalling SQL 2008 Express, installing SQL 2008 Standard for Small Business, and reattaching the databases.

From there, we installed the AutoDesk Data Management Server. Note that disk swaps are a part of the install process!

Or so we thought …

There is some cleanup that needs to happen before we can move forward.

So, we deleted:

Click the Re-test button and:

When we checked the SQL DATA folder to make sure it was empty we found nothing, so the second part of the error must be the one.

And so it was:

Now, we are talking about _25GB_ of file storage here. So, we will rename the \ProgramData\Autodesk root folder to Autodesk – Old and retry.

TIP: We always label the OS partition after the server name, that is why the label in the above screenshot is greyed out. This gives us an at-a-glance “which server am I on?” look which comes in handy when managing large numbers of servers throughout the day.

We are now good to go:

And subsequently:

And, finally we are greeted with a successful ADMS 2009 install:

When we fired up the ADMS 2009 console we received:

Pre-existing Database(s) Detected 

Once the process completed we had a fresh ADMS 2009 install using fresh databases.

To get the Vault data in, we needed to detach the fresh Vault and the fresh KnowledgeVaultMaster databases in ADMS.

First, the fresh Vault:

Vault “Vault” was successfully detached.

The view from within the SQL Management Studio for the AUTODESKVAULT instance:

So, the ADMS detach actually removes the database from the instance.

From there:

Vault “KnowledgVaultMaster” was successfully detached.

And again from within the SQL Management Studio:

So, before we go and attach the original databases, we moved the needed databases into the SQL DATA folder, and then the VaultServer\FileStore content into the new location.

Once the FileStore move has completed, we go to Attach Master Vault _in_ ADMS:

And the actual database and log files before being attached in Windows Explorer:

In ADMS we receive an error:

Error

Cannot attach database ‘KnowledgeVaultMaster’ since it is of the wrong database type.

Ouch. So, off to the SQL Management Studio we go to attach the database manually.

After manually attaching the Db via SQL Management Studio and reopening ADMS 2009 we received:

Your Vault Master database appears to be out of date. You need to migrate before continuing. Would you like to migrate now? Choosing ‘No’ will exit the server console.

Okay, so we need to figure out how to get the setup to recognize that the server name has been changed!

We ended up with another error!

Error

If server ‘<servername>’ is intended to be a member of a replicated environment, please install Autodesk Productstream Replicator. If this computer has been recently renamed, please update the site via the server console command line options.

The command line was a bit of a task to find since we could not get into the ADMS 2009 console on our SQL server and our virtualized ADMS 2008 PC we are using as a reference does not bring anything relevant up in the help topics?!?

Here we find the proper syntax:

• tekni: Problem With Running Content Center After Renaming Server

  We ran the command line to get things going and it did not work:

Autodesk Data Management Server Console 2009

The database must be the same version as this Autodesk data management server, but the migration process failed to update the database to the same level as the server.

This indicates a serious problem with your server installation – the server console will now exit.

So, after all of this, here we sit with nothing in hand but an installed instance of SQL 2008 Standard for Small Business named AUTODESKVAULT, and an ADMS 2009 console that refuses to work with any database and Vault File Content configuration we throw at it.

It _will_ open if no databases are attached to the AUTODESEKVAULT instance though. And, therein lies the clue to what we needed to do.

The Solution

While all of this was going on, we were able to finally clean up the original machine running as a VM on one of our Hyper-V servers here in the shop to get a successful ADMS backup! This, after updating the VM’s SQL 2005 Express with SQL 2008 Express too.

So, we transported that backup back to the client and ran the restore into ADMS 2009. We needed to make sure that the SQL DATA directory was empty as well as the FileStore location before running the restore.

After two to three hours we received:

Autodesk Data Management Server Console 2009

The restore operation has been successfully finished.

Wow! We were finally somewhere close to bringing this setup back online!

And we did . . . finally!

An overview of the path from start to an actual finish for the process we needed to use:

1. ShadowProtect backup the workstation AI and ADMS are installed on.
2. Restore that SP image to VM.
3. Run ADMS backup to USB or network location.
4. Install SQL 2008 Express and upgrade the AUTODESKVAULT instance to SQL 2008.
5. Run ADMS backup to USB or network location
• Yes, we will have two backups! One before being touched and one after.
6. Install standalone server OS and update.
7. Install SQL 2008 Standard for Small Business AUTODESKVAULT instance.
1. Install in Windows/SQL Authentication Mixed Mode
2. Set the SA password to the required AutoDesk default.
8. Install the latest SQL 2008 service pack and updates.
9. Install ADMS 2009 (2010 may work the same way).
1. It will discover the SQL instance and use it.
10. In ADMS detach the new Vault.
11. In ADMS detach the new KnowledgeVaultMaster.
12. In ADMS, right click on the root folder and click on Restore.
13. Navigate to the backup folder created earlier and choose it.
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14. Once complete, a message will indicate that the restore was either successful or had failed.
1. If successful, the needed databases will now be found in the SQL DATA folder on the server and in SQL Management Studio Express.
2. Database user permissions will be restructured according to the new server setup.
15. Update the AutoDesk products on the workstations.
16. Once complete, open the Vault Explorer on the workstation.
17. Set the logon to Auto Logon.
18. Right click on the root folder in the Vault and Get Entire Folder.
• 
19. Done.

The most significant roadblock we ran into in this process had to do with the break in following the AutoDesk instructions to the letter. Because of the SQL version we had, which any SBS 2008 Premium site will have BTW, we were unable to complete the Edition Upgrade step.

This is one place where running the scenario virtually first would have saved us a lot of time when it came time to run the changes on the production network.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

AutoDesk Vault – 2008 Server Not Compatible With 2009 Vault Explorer

We put together a small server setup for a client to run their AutoDesk Vault database as the local SQL Express was maxed at 4GB.

Note the size of the local file store too.

So, after getting the new Vault setup configured on the SQL 2008 server running Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, we set up the users and we initiated the Vault Backup on the workstation.

This is where we sit after an hour:

Now, since it looks like we are going to be waiting a long time, we went to install the AutoDesk Inventor Suite on the other workstations that will be connecting to the new Vault instance.

We used CDBurnerXP to create ISOs of the 4 AutoDesk DVDs and Virtual-Clone Drive to mount those ISOs one at a time on the workstations to be upgraded . . . or so we thought.

The AutoDesk installer went through all of the customization setup screens then as soon as it went to install the software it got hung up in a request for DVD 1 which was mounted via VCD. We are doing this remotely with no one in that office so we are stuck.

There must be a hook in the setup routine that looks for a physical optical drive so we will need to run the install portion for the workstations locally.

Now, we then tried to see if the 2008 version of Vault would log onto the new 2009 version hosted on the SQL server and this is what we received:

Log In

Vault Explorer 2008 is not compatible with the Autodesk Data Management Server hosting the following server applications:

Vault Server version 13.0.47.0

Looks like we are ham strung on several fronts for now! We cannot get any further with this until we can get into their office on Monday morning.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

AutoDesk Vault Requires IIS6 Management Compatibility

As we go through installing the AutoDesk Vault on a second Windows Server 2008 R2 box with SQL 2008 Standard installed on it, we are discovering the little bits and pieces that may not show themselves as obvious in the documentation.

The SQL database that was set up, as mentioned in another post on the AUTODESKVAULT instance name (previous post), requires Windows and SQL authentication.

A Windows domain user will need to be created for the AUTODESKVAULT SQL security setup too. We set up a user that is only a member of the Domain Users group with no mailbox in the SBS Console.

From there, we need to make sure that certain IIS6 components are installed and available.

From the AutoDesk Help:

Since IIS7 was already installed in preparation for this task, we needed to click on the IIS node and then click the Add Role Services link in the right hand column of the management console.

We select IIS 6 Management Compatibility and its subcomponents and click Next then Install:

Once installed, we go back to our AutoDesk install routine window:

If the Re-test fails on ASP.NET files, run an elevated command prompt and:

• iisreset [Enter]

Then click the Re-test button and it should run through successfully. Keep the command prompt window open for now as it will be needed again later.

Once the test completes, take note of the two warnings shown in the screenshot above. Make sure that HTTP is allowed in through the server’s firewall which it should be since IIS was installed so that warning can be ignored.

But, once the install routine has finished we will need to change the IIS Connection Time Out as indicated in the screenshot under warnings.

After changing the connection Time-out setting, run the IISReset command in the command prompt window before closing the command prompt window.

Once done, the Autodesk Data Management Server Console 2009 should open up after prompting for the Administrator password which is blank to start off with.

Note that the default libraries will require defragmentation out of the box:

Right click on the library and click on Defragment Library. It is best to do this before importing the production Vault database content since the process requires that the library be locked while performing the defragmentation.

From there, Vault user configuration, backing up the original Vault content (if needed), and restoring of the original Vault content will be required.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Set Up The AutoDesk Vault On SQL Server 2008

When configuring a server ahead of time to host a full version SQL database, one very important piece of information needs to be followed when configuring that first SQL instance:

The instance name needs to be AUTODESKVAULT. If the instance has a different name, then the AutoDesk management server installation will want to install its own SQL Express instance.

Since this particular client needs a full version of SQL due to the size of their database, we need that full version instance available when we are running the setup routine.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Installing SQL 2008 on Windows Server 2008 R2

There are a couple of small caveats when installing SQL Server 2008 on top of the Windows Server 2008 R2 OS.

One is that we need to make sure that the .NET Framework 3.5 is installed _before_ we run setup:

• Microsoft KB 955725: List of known issues when you install SQL Server on Windows 7 or on Windows Server 2008 R2

The other caveat came up when we ran the initial SQL setup routine:

The routine wanted a restart before we got to installing the actual SQL bits.

Oh, and one more thing. Make sure to download the appropriate SQL 2008 service pack and have it ready to install once all of the SQL instances are installed.

During the install, SQL will test the firewall setup to make sure the appropriate ports are available:

Specifically:

• MSDN: Configuring the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access

In our case, our needed instance port will be 1433 TCP and then the required SQL Browser service port of 1434 UDP:

In this case we have an SBS 2003 R2 Premium site that requires a dedicated SQL instance for their AutoCAD Vault setup. But, the management portion of the software is unable to be installed on SBS 2003.

So, we needed another box with SQL. Unfortunately, the client was not willing to go much beyond dropping in a budget Windows Server 2008 R2 box with SQL licenses for the needed number of users at this point.

So, we now have the needed SQL setup in place to get things up and running.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer