41. How to Migrate between Servers

Occassionally the need arises to relocate your OVERLAPS instance from one server to another, fortunately this process is not at all complicated as we have outlined below.

41.1 Important Note

As OVERLAPS uses Microsoft's DPAPI to handle the encryption of sensitive data in the database, this encryption process is tied to that server. What this means is that once you migrate to another server, this information will be lost. Currently this includes: Active Directory Service Account Credentials if this is configured in your settings, Email service credentials, and Password History information.

41.2 Pre-Migration Steps

Before starting work on the new server, there are a few files you'll need to copy from the old server, all of which can be found in this folder:

C:\ProgramData\Int64 Software Ltd\OVERLAPS\
  • Your licence file, which should have a ".lic" extension.
  • dcblacklist.txt - this is used to prevent OVERLAPS from using certain domain controllers, you only need to copy this file if you've modified it manually in the past.
  • overlaps.sqlite - this is the main database file which contains all of your settings and data.

Once you have a copy of these files, you can proceed.

41.3 Steps to Take on the New Server

Once you've installed your new server to your liking, you can now install an OVERLAPS instance on it:

  1. Download the latest installer from our website. Don't worry if you're going from an older version, OVERLAPS is version aware and capable of handling any upgrades and data migration itself.
  2. Run the MSI to get a clean install of OVERLAPS.
  3. Launch the Configuration Utility
    1. On the Active Directory tab, make sure your AD ports are correct and enable "LDAP over SSL (LDAPS)" if needed/supported.
    2. Skip the "Users and Groups" tab as these will be migrated across later by copying the database.
    3. On the Host tab, check your desired HTTP and HTTPS ports are correct. This generally only needs changing if you have other web services running on the same server.
    4. Under the HTTPS tab, set up your HTTPS certificate for this server (see the linked page for a guide on this process).
    5. On the same tab you can now enable HTTPS in OVERLAPS and check that it is working before proceeding. This step is optional, but can help to avoid problems later on.
    6. On the Kerberos tab, click the two "Enable Kerberos" buttons if this is needed.
    7. Close the Configuration Utility.
  4. Stop the OVERLAPS service.
  5. Copy the files from above (licence file, database, etc) into the same folder on the new server.
  6. Start the OVERLAPS service.

That's it, you've successfully migrated servers. Now you just have to decommission the old server's instance and switch your users over to the new one or update your DNS records to automatically redirect them.