Cloning FileNet Content Engine data from one FileNet P8 domain to another

Answer

This technical notice presents a procedure for cloning Content Engine data from one version 4.5.0 or 4.5.1 FileNet P8 domain to another FileNet P8 domain. To clone the Content Engine data means to copy the Global Configuration Database (GCD) and object stores from one FileNet P8 domain to another.


Important: This procedure does not describe how to clone Process Engine data.

Once the cloning procedure is completed, the test environment will have the same object store data (metadata and content), as the production environment. The two FileNet P8 domains do not need to have the same physical system layout. For example, the production FileNet P8 domain can have clustered FileNet P8 components, while the test FileNet P8 domain can have nonclustered FileNet P8 components. This procedure can apply to all supported application server, database, and directory server types.

Prerequisites

• To accomplish this cloning procedure you must be very familiar with FileNet P8 installation and system administration.
  
  
• The production and test FileNet P8 domains must be running on the same version of FileNet P8 software and the same fix pack level.
  
  
• The production and test FileNet P8 domains must use the same directory service (LDAP) domain for authentication.
  
  
• The data source names for the GCD must be the same in the production and test FileNet P8 domains.

Additional Notes

The cloning procedure is designed to minimize the downtime on the production FileNet P8 domain. However, for parts of the procedure the test and production FileNet P8 domains will be shut down. Therefore, do this procedure during off hours, when shutting down the FileNet P8 domains will have minimal impact on users.

If your production FileNet P8 domain is configured with a Content Search Engine component, it is a best practice to complete the procedure in this technical notice first, and then create new content search indexes (collections) in the test FileNet P8 domain and reindex the content.

If you are unfamiliar with any of the steps in this procedure, contact the IBM Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Client Support team for assistance.

The technical notice “Migrating Production Data to Test in the Same Authentication Domain” located at http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21326721 describes a similar procedure to the one in this technical notice but applies only to IBM FileNet P8 3.5 environments.


Procedure

This procedure has three parts:

1. Backing up Content Engine data from the production FileNet P8 domain
   
   
2. Configuring the test FileNet P8 domain
   
   
3. Restoring backed-up Content Engine data to the test FileNet P8 domain

I. Backing up Content Engine data from the production FileNet P8 domain

Important: Do all of the steps in this part of the procedure on the production FileNet P8 domain only.

To shut down all of the FileNet P8 components, then back up the Content Engine data, and finally restart the components:

1. Verify that the following Content Engine activities have completed:
   
   - Content Engine transactions (including all automatically launched indexing jobs)
   
   - In-progress event actions (that is, the QueueItem table is empty)
   
   - Publishing requests
   
   Contact the ECM Client Support team if you are unsure of how to verify the items in this step. Failure to properly shut down the production FileNet P8 domain (including all services and activities) will cause problems in the early stages of starting the FileNet P8 software on the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   In particular, queued work will be launched as Content Engine services start, but the work might not start until the migration completes, which will result in flooding the event logs with misleading error messages.
   
   
2. Shut down the production FileNet P8 domain in the following order:
   
   a. Shut down the Workplace or Workplace XT application servers.
   
   b. Stop all other client activity, such as custom FileNet P8 applications.
   
   c. Shut down the Process Engine servers.
   
   d. Shut down the Content Engine application servers, including the
   administrative application server.
   
   
3. Make a backup copy of the bootstrapped version of the Content Engine EAR file, which later will be copied to the test FileNet P8 domain. This file is typically in the following directory: ce_install_path/tools/configure/profiles/profile_name/EAR.
   
   
4. Complete the following steps to back up the Content Engine data:
   
   a. Use your own chosen tools to back up the Content Engine file storage areas, which eventually will be copied to the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   b. Use database vendor tools to export the GCD database and the databases for the object stores from the FileNet P8 production database. For an Oracle database, export everything owned by the GCD table space owner and each object store table space owner.
   
   For details on backup and restore procedures, refer to the IBM FileNet P8 4.5 online help topic: System Administration > Content Engine Administration > Content Engine overview > Features > Backup and restore.
   
   
5. Restart the components of the production FileNet P8 domain in the following order:

a. Restart the Content Engine application servers.

b. Restart the Process Engine servers.

c. Restart the Workplace or Workplace XT application servers.

d. Restart all other client activity, such as custom FileNet P8 applications.

II. Configuring the test FileNet P8 domain

Important: Do all of the steps in this part of the procedure on the test FileNet P8 domain only.

To shut down all of the FileNet P8 components and create the database tables:

1. Shut down the components of the test FileNet P8 domain in the following order:
   
   a. Shut down the Workplace or Workplace XT application servers.
   
   b. Stop all other client activity, such as custom FileNet P8 applications.
   
   c. Shut down the Process Engine servers.
   
   d. Shut down the Content Engine application servers, including the administrative application server.
   
   
2. Complete the following steps on the database server that is used for the test FileNet P8 domain:
   
   a. Create a new GCD database (schema).
   
   b. Create a new object store database (schema) for each object store that you are copying from the production FileNet P8 domain.
   
   It is a best practice to give each object store table the same name as the corresponding table in the database server for the production FileNet P8 domain.
   
   
3. Complete the following steps depending on whether you have data sources already defined for the GCD and object stores:
   
   - If you already have data sources defined for the GCD and object stores in the test FileNet P8 domain that match the data source names in the production FileNet P8 domain, use the administrative tool on your application server where Content Engine is installed to update the user name and password to access the database, database name, and TCP/IP port, for each data source to be used in the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   - If any object store that you are copying from the production FileNet P8 domain is not already defined in the test FileNet P8 domain (that is, its data sources do not yet exist in the test FileNet P8 domain), use the Configuration Manager to create data sources for the new object store.
   
   
4. For each file storage area in the production FileNet P8 domain, create a new corresponding file storage area directory in the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   It is a best practice for the path to each new file storage area in the test FileNet P8 domain to be the same as the path to the corresponding file storage area in the production FileNet P8 domain.
   
   
5. Replace the Content Engine EAR file on the Content Engine server in the test FileNet P8 domain by completing the following steps:
   
   a. Copy the bootstrapped version of the Content Engine EAR file from the production FileNet P8 domain to the location of the Content Engine EAR file on the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   b. Use the administrative tool on your application server in the test FileNet P8 domain to undeploy the Content Engine EAR file. Then, restart the application server.
   
   c. In the Configuration Manager use the Deploy Application Task option to redeploy the Content Engine EAR file.
   
   

III. Restoring backed-up Content Engine data to the test FileNet P8 domain

To restore the backed-up production data into the test FileNet P8 domain:

1. Shut down the application server where Content Engine Server is deployed in the test FileNet P8 domain, including the administrative server.
   
   
2. Use database vendor tools to import the exported production FileNet P8 domain GCD database and object store databases into the new databases (schemas) in the test environment. For Oracle databases, you can use a command such as Oracle import with fromuser and touser parameters to import into the table space with a new name for the test environment table spaces.
   
   
3. Use your own chosen tools to restore the backed-up file storage areas from the production FileNet P8 domain to the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   
4. Start the Content Engine application servers in the test FileNet P8 domain, including the administrative server.
   
   
5. If the path to the storage area in the test FileNet P8 domain differs from that in the production FileNet P8 domain, use the Move Storage Area wizard to update the storage area path location in the GCD.
   
   
   For details, refer to the IBM FileNet P8 4.5 online help topic System Administration > Content Engine Administration > Content Engine Wizards > Move a storage area.
   
   
6. Use FileNet Enterprise Manager to verify that all the object stores that you copied from the production FileNet P8 domain are accessible in the test FileNet P8 domain:
   
   a. Select a document from each object store and view it.
   
   b. Create new Process Engine isolated regions and connection points to connect to the Process Engine in the test FileNet P8 domain.
   
   Tip: For additional verification that the data sources for the production and test FileNet P8 domains are not crossed, create a new folder within one of the object stores in the test FileNet P8 domain, and then verify that the new folder does not exist within the same object store in the production FileNet P8 domain.
   
   
7. Start the other FileNet P8 components in the test FileNet P8 domain: Workplace or Workplace XT, custom applications, and Process Engine.
   
   
8. If you are using the Content Search Engine component, create new content search indexes (collections) in the test FileNet P8 domain and reindex the content.