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Kerio Connect system migration to another server

Author: Luis Fernandes Updated

Overview

When migrating Kerio Connect from the old server (macMini, Windows Server 2012 R2, etc) to the new server (Ubuntu VM, Windows Server 2016, etc), the whole Configuration and MailStore should be transferred.

As a best practice, the transfer between different locations should be completed using a full backup on the source server and restoration on the target data center server. The alternative way is to move the internal files manually.

 

 
Prerequisites

 
Before starting the migration process, ensure that the following requirements are met:

  • A valid Server License (located in the License section of the dashboard)

  • Full OS access on the source and target servers

  • The same Kerio Connect architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) on both servers

  • The same version of Kerio Connect on both servers (download older versions if needed)

  • A data transfer channel - a portable storage device, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), or SCP (Secure Copy Protocol)

  • Both the source and target servers need to be offline.

  • A full backup may take many hours (depending on the Storage occupied) and an incremental backup is needed for a complete restore of the source server.

Note: For Kerio Connect 9.0.4 and older versions, it is recommended to upgrade the source server to the latest version, or you can install the old version (from the source server) on the target server, transfer the data, and then upgrade the target server. This is required because the MAPI properties DB structure has changed in Kerio 9.1.


Solution

Recommended Method

  1. On the source server, stop all Kerio Connect services to disable mail flow during the migration.

    services_stopped.png
  2. On the source server, perform a full backup.
  3. Copy the backup files to the target server.
  4. On the target server, perform the data recovery process:
  5. After the recovery process is complete, modify the mailserver.cfg file to use the appropriate paths on the target server.

 

Manual Method

  1. On the source and target servers, stop Kerio Connect:
  2. On the source server, navigate to the Kerio Connect installation directory.

    Operating System Location
    Mac OS /usr/local/kerio/mailserver/
    Red Hat/SuSE /opt/kerio/mailserver/
    Windows C:\Program Files\Kerio\MailServer\

  3. Locate and copy the following files and folders: 

    • mailserver.cfg – Stores the Kerio Connect configuration.

    • users.cfg – Stores users, groups, and aliases.

    • sslcert – Contains the private key used for SSL connection.

    • settings – Contains specific settings (SMTP rules and domain footer images).

  4. On the target server, stop Kerio Connect. 

  5. Navigate to the installation directory.

  6. Paste the items (copied in Step 2) to the target server.

  7. On the source server, locate and copy the mail store. This directory is defined in the administration interface under Configuration > Advanced Options > Store Directory.

  8. On the target server, paste the mail store directory to the desired location.

  9. Modify the mailserver.cfg file to use the appropriate paths on the target server.

 

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Verification and Final Steps

  • Register your license on the new server.
  • If your users are logging in via Active/Open Directory, make sure to add the server to the domain.
  • If your server's IP address has changed, make sure to update all relevant DNS records.
  • If you are moving from Mac OS X to a different OS, you must rebuild accounts that use Exchange Web Services (EWS). This means that you need to remove and re-create the account that is configured as an Exchange Account in the email client application (e.g., Outlook, Apple Mail). This does not apply to iOS and Android devices because they only use IMAP or ActiveSync.
  • After restoring the Kerio Connect configuration from backup it will overwrite the current Kerio Connect settings with settings from the backup, so after restoring from the backup you will have to use the admin password from your source server to login to the new Kerio Connect. It's recommended using the same admin password and settings as on the source server when deploying new Kerio Connect to prevent confusion after restoring settings from the backup.

 

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