Migrating System Center Essentials 2007 to another server or recovering from a failure

On the day of publication, Microsoft does not have official documents, publications, or recommendations for moving the SCE server or restoring it. We have to fill in the gaps. Although the task is very relevant. The simplest example of this situation is the transfer of the SCE server from the test environment to the actual operation.


Let's get started. First, you need to clean the domain from the previous installation, otherwise all attempts to start the installer are doomed to failure. Under a license agreement, there can only be one Management Server in a domain. If your test server SCE is not dead, then you can simply remove it in the usual way through the installation of uninstall programs. If the SCE machine is already lost, you will have to clean the Active Directory with handles.

To do this, you need:

• Delete SCE Managed Computers Group Policy Group Policy Objects (Your_Old_Server_MG) and System Center Essentials All Computers Policy
• Remove the SCE Managed Computers group (Your_Old_Server_MG) from Active Directory
• Via adsiedit.msc, you need to open the object of the computer that contained the SCE server and remove the SCESCP and SDKServiceSCP parameters - this will start the System Center Essentials installer.
• 
• Next, disconnect the OperationsManager, OperationsManagerDW, and SUSDB databases and put them in a “secluded place”

Preparatory steps are completed. Now we directly restore the server on the necessary equipment.

1. Copy the WSUSContent folder to the new server.
2. Installing SCE 2007 on a new server from scratch, you can use my recommendations. It should be noted that the names of the machines must be the same, the names of the SQL servers for storing the database, too. Specify the same ActionAccount as last time.
3. During the installation, we indicate the location of the WSUSContent folder. If the updates were stored in the folder D: \ WSUS \ WSUSContent, then during installation, D: \ WSUS \
4. After installation is complete, stop the OpsMgr Config Service, OpsMgr SDK Service, and Update Services
5. Detach the newly created OperationsManager, OperationsManagerDW, and SUSDB databases. Leave them just in case. And attach the saved databases from the old server.
6. Start the service. Launch the System Center Essentials console. If everything went well, then you can continue to work further and launch the Feature Configuration wizard.
7. It didn’t work out for me, and all because the safe storage was used and the key is needed. Remember when installing SCE you were asked to backup it. So, for a successful recovery, this key should be. If you have a key, run the Secure Storage Backup Wizard and, following the instructions of the wizard, select Restore and enjoy life.
8. Remember to perform Repair on all installed agents.

Those who do not have a key can only sympathize and suggest the following:

Do not restore the OperationsManager, OperationsManagerDW databases at all, leave those that were with the new SCE installation.
The susdb database can be restored, the key to it is not needed.
As a result, we will save information about updates and approvals, but lose information about groups of computers (they must be immediately removed from the WSUS console).
You will need to restore all Software Deployments, if any.
After going through the entire recovery process, you can select the components that you need to have in reserve:

OperationsManager, OperationsManagerDW, and SUSDB databases.
Information about the database is located in the registry:

OperationsManager, OperationsManagerDW - HKLM \ Software \ Microsoft \ Microsoft Operations Manager \ 3.0 \ Setup \ DatabaseName
SUSDB - HKLM \ Software \ Microsoft \ Update Services \ Server \ Setup \ SqlDatabaseName WSUSContent
folder - HKLM \ Software \ Microsoft \ Update Services \ Server \ Setup \ ContentDir A
key to access through the Secure Storage Backup Wizard.
All components must be backed up ON ANOTHER physical computer on the network. This will save you further recovery problems.

PS How to transfer to a new server? I can’t give an exact recommendation, but presumably, I need to backup all the components, install SCE on a new computer from scratch in a normal way, and restore the databases.

Cross-post personal blogdimka.yz74.ru/2009/02/09/sce_disaster