Hello Experts,

I have xomplex environment and I need your help in smooth migration, want to prepare migration plan.

I have SEPM server managing clients and clients have different AD domains, cust1, cust2....and so on. Some customers are having local SEPM server where clients are large in number, but SEPM server is managed by central management server.

I want to migrate these clients to new infrastructure of SEPM, creating the same environment as it is but with new version and enhanced performance server.

Can you please help me in deciding the smooth migration plan.

Thanks

If you just want to point the clients to another SEPM, you just need to replace the sylink file.

What version of SEPM are you running? If 12.1 RU2 or higher, you can do this from the SEPM:

Restoring client-server communications with Communication Update Package Deployment

Why do I need to replace the client-server communications file on the client computer?

See upgrade to latest version:

Best practices for upgrading to the latest version of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.x

Best practices for upgrading to the latest version of Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.x

Existing environment contains different versions SEP 11 and SEP 12 and there are many management servers, handling clients in different AD domains. I Want to migrate specific clients on these servers to new infrastructure SEP 12.

Can I do this migration from old SEPM server, select the client and move it to new SEPM server?

OR I can replace the sylink file on the clients which I want to migrate? And how to replace the sylink file, can this be done centrally from central server or need to be done on each client manually?

Which is the best methodology and more easy to achieve.Apologies for asking novice question, because I am new to this SEPM.

Thanks

Yes you can replace sylink.xml file.

How to change the sylink.xml file in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 12.1

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH157585

How to point clients to a new SEPM after decommissioning or replacing the primary SEPM

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH92556

You can use sylink replacer to do it centrally otherwise it would need to be replaced manually using sylink drop.

How many clients we talking here?

Number of clients could be 20000.

Easiest weay may be to get the SEPM upgrade to the latest 12.1 version (12.1 RU4 MP1a) and then replace the sylink on your clients centrally from the SEPM

I want to achieve this with minimum end user involvement and transparent to end user.

Can you please let me know how can I move the clients from central management console.In case it is not possible, wht is the best possible way to replace the sylink file without going to the endpoint client and without involving end user.

Thanks

if you get your SEPMs upgraded first to 12.1.4.1a then you can push a new sylink silently, remotely the end users per my first link in my original reply.

If still on 11.x then you can run sylinkreplacer, which will also do it silently. it's just much easier to use the SEPM to do this.

Brian,

Thanks a lot for your comments.

Can you please let me know where I can find the procedure for migrating using sylinkplacer.

Thanks

See here please

Using the "SylinkReplacer" Utility

Brian,

I have gone through the link, since I have different version in my scenario, do I need to get the different sylink files from symantec technical support?

Also can you please let me know any pre requisites or best practices or recommendations so that migration can happen smoothly.

Thanks

The sylink file you need to use is from the SEPM you want the clients to connect to.

Make sure you have full access to those machines (admin rights)

Brian,

Can I migrate the clients running 11.2 using the sylink file of 12.1?

Or do I need to use 11.2 sylink file?

I didnt understood by full access, when I am running sylink file from central SEPM server, which account should have admin rights?

Thanks

Can I migrate the clients running 11.2 using the sylink file of 12.1?

You can used SEP 12.x sylink.xml.

I didnt understood by full access, when I am running sylink file from central SEPM server, which account should have admin rights?

Local admin or domain admin rights

Brian/James,

Can you please let me know how much time(minutes/hours) does it take to migrate policies and each client?

Thanks

Can you please let me know how much time(minutes/hours) does it take to migrate policies and each client?

Once your client are communicate your new sepm server you need to upgrade your all old sep client.

How to upgrade Symantec Endpoint Protection clients using the Auto-Upgrade feature

See mithun comments

Upgrade Schedule in the Autoupgrade package lets you control the time of the client computer upgrade.

http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/creating-install-package-push-ru7-mp1-through-sepm

You can just create ne wpolicies and apply to your groups. How many different groups do you have and do they inherit from the parent group or is inheritance broken?

Brian,

Can you please help me with database migration option in Symantec. Can you please let me know what are the possible options in migrating the selective database from the existing database to another SEPM server.

Also I was unable migrate successfully with sylink replacer but was able to migrate using deploying the updated communication package.

Thanks for your help.

Brian ,

One more question, is it possible to deploy communication package on 11.1 version client from SEPM 12.1 and can be migrated?

THanks

Yes, should be possible

What DB type, embedded or SQL?

Can you please let me know the selective data migration possiblities in both the cases embedded and SQL.

See here:

Moving the SEPM database to a new SQL server or instance using SQL backup/restore.

Best Practices guide to moving the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager SQL Server database from an existing SQL Server database to a new SQL Server database

How to move the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager SQL database to a new SQL Server

How to back up, restore, and/or move the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) and embedded Database to another disk or system

Thanks Brian

But all these links are talking about migrating the complete database, but is it possible to migrate partcular active groups of clients database OR particular AD domain database from one database to another database?

Moving the database is all or nothing. If you wan tto move groups you would need to create them in the new SEPM and migrate clients over.
 

Brian,

I am migrating clients from SEPM 11.x to SEPM 12.X using the deployment of communication package.

I have one query, can you please let me know how much time will it take for upgrading the client version 11.x to 12.x after migration and roughly how much data will transfer from server to client keeping in mind about bandwidth utilisation. Generally how much bandwidth will be required for that.

Thanks