Check the following document to see which upgrade path you should follow. --> see Supported upgrade paths for IT Management Suite 8.5 RU1 - RU4.

NOTE: If you are still using ITMS 7.5 or 7.6, there is not a direct upgrade path to ITMS 8.5. If you have 7.5 for example, you will need to upgrade to 7.6 or 8.0 first:

First, you will need to upgrade to 8.0 HF6. Then, you can upgrade to 8.5.

​Before you begin the Upgrade / Migration, please complete the following steps:

1. Verify that your systems meet the hardware recommendations. --> Chapter 4 of ITMS Planning and Implementation Guide.

2. Verify that your ITMS environment is running on supported Server OSes, IIS, and SQL. --> ITMS Platform Support Matrix.

3. Make a backup/snapshot of the Notification server, Site servers (task and package), Gateway servers, and SQL servers and SQL databases.

4. Best Practice calls for testing the install/upgrade in a lab environment before doing the install/upgrade in the production environment.

Upgrade / Migration

NOTE: You must log in to your computer as the IT Management Suite (ITMS) AppID (Service Account) before proceeding with the upgrade.

1. Make a backup of the existing Symantec_CMDB database and restore it to the new SQL Server. In this example, we are calling the new database Symantec_CMDB_New.
2. Make a backup of the KMS keys on the source server.

1. 1. 1. Open the Symantec Installation Manager (SIM).
      2. Select "Repair Installed Products"
      3.  
         1. Symantec Installation Manager (SIM) 8.0 - 8.1
            1. Select "Manage KMS keys", click "Next >"
            2. "Select Perform backup"
            3. Select the backup location desired and enter a password.
            4. Click "Backup".
         
         
         1. Symantec Installation Manager (SIM) 8.5
            1. Select "Back up or restore Notification Server configuration" and make a backup of your KMS keys. See "IT Management Suite 8.5 Disaster Recovery White Paper" for information on how to accomplish this step.
            2. Select the backup location desired and enter a password.
               1. NOTE: "Encryption password must be non-empty and its minimal length is 4 symbols. It must contain symbols corresponding to 3 of 4 categories: upper- and lower-case letters, digits and special characters."
            3. Click "Backup".
               1. The window showing backup files may be blank until the backup is completed and then it will populate with the file you just created.
               2. NOTE: This version of SIM can open KMS files from previous versions. 

1. 1. 1. A pop-up window will display the status of the backup
         1. If successful, click OK on the KMS backup screen and return to return to SIM.
         2. Click "Close" to return to the main screen of SIM

Now, you will have the two items necessary to start the migration:

1. 1. Backup of the existing Symantec_CMDB database from Step I.
   2. Backup of the KMS keys from Step II.

​Once the new server is up and running with the Symantec Installation Manager (SIM) installed:

1. Copy the KMS key zip file from Step II to a directory on the new/destination server.
2. On the new/destination Notification Server, install ITMS 8.5.0 using the Symantec Installation Manager (SIM). NOTE: The Upgrade must be done to version 8.5 GA FIRST and NOT an 8.5 RU directly.
   • 1. 1. Launch the Symantec Installation Manager (SIM).
        2. Choose "Configure Settings". You will see the "Install New Products" page.
        3. Enable the "Show all available versions" button (highlighted below in yellow)
           
        4. Scroll down and choose "Altiris IT Management Suite 8.5", Not with RU1 or RU2. 
           
        5. Click "Next". You will now see the "Optional Installations" page.
        6. Click on the "Install Migration Wizard" box (click on the other boxes if needed). Click "Next. You will see the "Install Location" page. You must choose all of the software you want to use on the new/destination server during the install. Compare what you have on the old/source server and include the same items on the new/destination server. We recommend that you do not install on the System Drive (C:). It is better to use a drive dedicated to ITMS. (NOTE: some log files will be installed on the C: drive.) Choose the drive to install to and click "Next". 
        7. On the next page, click on "I accept the terms in the license agreements" and click "Next".
        8. The "Install Readiness Check" will now run. If it passes, click "Next". If it does not pass, read the instructions and take care of any prerequisites before you proceed. Do not bypass the Install Readiness Check. Doing so will result in damage to your system.
        9. You will now see the "Notification Server Configuration" page. Enter the "User name", including the domain name, (domain\username), and "Password", then verify the other information is correct. Click "Next". You will see the "Database Configuration" page.
        10. Enter the SQL Server name. Then, click the "Use existing" radio button. (NOTE: DO NOT USE the current in use or production database, make sure to use the version restored from the backup in Step I (Symantec_CMDB_New in this example).                                                                                                         
        11. Click "Next". You will see a pop-up that says, "Verifying database connection."
     1. 1. 1. When the database is selected, it will prompt for the KMS key zip file from Step II, enter the location for the key zip file from the new target server. Click "Next". You will see the "Review Installation Details" page. Click on "Begin Install".

      

3. Now you will use NSUpgradeWizard.exe to create a backup of data (patches, software delivery .exe files, core settings.config, etc) on the old / source server which is Not located in the database (CMDB).

1. 1. On the New server, Go to [Install Drive:]\Program Files\Altiris\ and copy the "Upgrade" folder.
   2. Go to your Old / source server and paste the "Upgrade" folder from Step VI-A to your Desktop.
   3. Go to your Old / source server "Upgrade" folder on the Desktop from Step VI-B and run "NSUpgradeWizard.exe".Select "Export" and pick a location to hold the exported files.
      • NOTE: If exporting patches or other large files, the destination location will need to be large enough to hold the data.
   4. Enter a password and click "Next".
   5. Select the desired items to export and click "Next" until Finish.

Next, you will use NSUpgradeWizard.exe on the new/destination Notification Server to import the data from Step VI above.

1. On the New server, Go to: [Install Drive:] \Program Files\Altiris\Upgrade and run "NSUpgradeWizard.exe".
2. Select "Import", and browse to the location of the file created in Step VI-D above and click "Next".
3. Enter the password from Step VI-E above and click "Next".
4. Verify that everything is configured correctly and click "Next".
5. On the "Product Readiness Check" page, click "Next".
6. On the "Task Summary" page, click "Next".

NOTE: Up to this point your old production system should still be running independently of the new server. The final step is next, after you migrate your agents.

Are you running HTTPS or Cloud-Enabled Management (CEM) on the destination server?

If you are using certificates (For internal HTTPS or CEM on your new system), you will need to do the following before redirecting the agents to the new / destination Notification Server. NOTE: This step only works with 8.1 RU7. There are no communication profiles pre- ITMS 8.1. If you are on ITMS 8.0 or earlier and are using certificates for HTTPS and/or CEM, you will need to upgrade/update to ITMS 8,1 RU7 before upgrading to 8.5.

• On the new / destination system, open the Symantec Management Console and go to Settings > All Settings > Agents/Plug-ins > Symantec Management Agent

• Right-click the name of your new Notification Server (Red arrow below), then choose "Export" from the pop-up menu. The following will appear:

• In the "Export SMP Server Communication Profile", shown above, choose a password for the export file. NOTE: If you are using CEM, click the "Export Cloud-enabled configuration for CEM agents" (see orange arrow shown above). Click "OK"

• Now, you will import the SMP Server Communication Profile to the old/source. Using the Symantec Management Console on the old / source Notification Server, go to Settings > All Settings > Agents/Plug-ins > Symantec Management Agent. Right-click the "Symantec Management Agent Communications profiles" folder and choose "Import Profile" and choose the .xml you exported in Step II above. Enter the password you supplied in Step III above.

Migrating the agents - Moving agents from the existing Notification server to the newly built Notification Server

NOTE: Symantec recommends moving the clients to the new/destination Notification Server in a staged fashion. Do not begin with VIP users, your managers, or the people who sign your paycheck. :-)

• On old / source Notification Server, open the SMP Console and go to Settings > All Settings > Agents/Plug-ins > Symantec Management Agent > Settings > Targeted Agent Settings.

• In the middle panel, right-click "All Desktop computers (excluding 'Site Servers')" and select "Clone".

• In the pop-up that appears, type an appropriate name, for example, "Test Agent Migration Computer" and click "OK".

• The new policy with the name you created in Step III above will appear in the middle panel.

• Click on the "General" tab (red arrow above).

• Select the target highlighted in yellow above and click on the X (orange arrow above).

• Click on "Applies to" and choose "Targets". A pop-up window called "Select a resource target" appears.

• Click on "New" and then "Target". A pop-up called "Create new target" appears.
  

• Type an appropriate name for the target such as "Test Agent Migration Computer Target" (highlighted in yellow above).

• Then, click the "Add rule" button.

• Click on the down arrow (highlighted in orange above) and select "exclude computers not in".

• Next, click on the down arrow (highlighted in green above) and select "Computer list".

• Finally, click on the down arrow (highlighted in blue above) and select the computer you want to migrate to the new Notification Server. Click on "Update results" to verify that the new target includes only the computer you just added.

• Then click "OK".
  
   

• Enable the policy with the new target by turning the policy "On" (red arrow above).

• Now click on the "Advanced" tab (red arrow below).
  

• Check the box highlighted in yellow above called "Specify an alternate communication profile for the Symantec Management Agents to access Notification Server".

• Click the pencil icon highlighted in orange above, and a pop-up called "Select Communication Profile for Symantec Management Agent" will appear.

• Select the profile with the name of your new / destination Notification Server.

• Click the radio button called "HTTPS URL" and verify that the URL points to the new / destination Notification Server. Click "Save changes".

• Go to the Symantec Management Agent (SMA) on the computer you are testing on and click on "Update Configuration".

Best Practices

• Leave both servers up until you have verified that nothing is missing from the configuration on the new server.

For detailed steps see  IT Management Suite 8.5 Data Migration.