The following is the suggested process for upgrading an existing ProjectWise installation to ProjectWise 8.1. The process outlined below is intended to serve as general guidance only and may not apply to all installations. Contacting Bentley Professional Services is highly recommended for site assessment, installation, and configuration services in support of the upgrade process.
Bentley also recommends that ProjectWise Administrators become familiar with the new capabilities of ProjectWise 8.1 before upgrading their production environment to insure a successful upgrade. It is also highly recommended that a test conversion be performed and validated prior to upgrading a production environment.
Upgrading ProjectWise 2.2.x to ProjectWise 8.1
Precautions:
- Ensure all documents are checked in before beginning server software and database upgrades.
- Backup ProjectWise 2.2 database - a complete cold backup should be made and verified using the database vendors recommended back-up procedures.
- Back up all server-side ProjectWise configuration files, to include TMD.CFG and JTM.PROPERTIES. While these files can not be used as is with ProjectWise 8.1, they are useful for review when configuring ProjectWise 8.1.
- Insure that the database software that you are using with ProjectWise 2.2.x is still supported in ProjectWise 8.1. This information is available in the ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server readme file. The suggestions in this document do not address the conversion between database types (i.e. Sybase to Oracle conversions).
- If there has been API-driven customization of the ProjectWise 2.2 system, that customization must be analyzed by the author to determine what should be done to upgrade the customization to ProjectWise 8.1.
- Review any Environment definitions that include SQL Select statements or database triggers to insure that they are current with the ProjectWise 8.1 table structure.
- Bentley recommends that at least one ProjectWise 8.1 client be installed and integration testing with all necessary desktop applications be conducted against a ProjectWise 8.1 test environment before upgrading the ProjectWise production environment.
- ProjectWise 2.x licenses will not operate with ProjectWise 8.1. Bentley will provide test licenses of ProjectWise 8.1 on request to assist with this upgrade process. These licenses can be obtained through normal licensing channels.
- Bentley recommends that the Site Administrators for ProjectWise attend Administrator training for ProjectWise 8.1. There are significant changes to ProjectWise 8.1 and Administrator training will help with the transition.
Suggested Migration Process:
- Conduct necessary preparation and testing as recommended above.
- Install ProjectWise 8.1 client software on all workstations. All ProjectWise 8.1 client components can be installed in parallel with the ProjectWise 2.2.x client software.
- ProjectWise 2.x clients can NOT communicate with ProjectWise 8.1 Application Servers, nor can ProjectWise 2.x Application Servers operate with ProjectWise 8.1 clients.
- Upgrading ProjectWise server components requires that all server components be upgraded at the same time, this includes ProjectWise Application Server, ProjectWise Web Server, Bentley Publisher, Digital InterPlot and any File Transfer or Connection Servers.
- Install ProjectWise server software on production server. ProjectWise Application Server 8.1 service can be installed on the same server as the ModelServer TeamMate Server 2.2.x service, however only one service can be active at any time. Also install the ProjectWise 8.1 File Transfer Server on any remote File Servers. As with the ProjectWise Application Server only one File Transfer service can be active at any given time on a File Server.
- Stop ProjectWise 2.2.x services.
- Back up existing Database - Once all activity is complete in the existing database, a complete cold backup should be made and verified before continuing.
- Start ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server service as well as any Remote File Transfer Servers.
- If your current RDMS does not meet the version requirements for ProjectWise 8.1, upgrade your RDMS to the appropriate version.
- For SQL Server 6.5 or 7 users, make sure that after upgrading your database to SQL Server 2000 that you set the database compatibility level to 80.
- Convert the ProjectWise datasource to the ProjectWise 8.1 schema using the DMSCONV.EXE utility installed with the ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server. At this time it is possible to also convert all of the existing History files into Audit Trail records. This step requires access to all Storage Areas containing History files and the ProjectWise 8.1 File Transfer service must be running on those File Servers. The Conversion of History files to Audit Trail records can be time-consuming, so an option is provided for the History files to be converted at a later time. When conducting a test conversion, be sure to re-set the storage areas to NOT point to your production Storage Areas. The conversion of History files to Audit Trail will delete any History files once they are imported. If this occurs then the History file will need to be re-covered from back-up to be available again during production conversion.
- If your database is SQL Server 2000, then your datasource is already able to support Unicode and you can skip to Step 13. For Sybase and Oracle users, continue with the next step.
- Sybase and Oracle users must create a new database (or instance) that supports a Unicode collation. The existing ProjectWise datasource must be exported using the database's administrative tools and then imported into the new database. More information about this process is located at the end of this document.
- Complete configuration of ProjectWise 8.1 server software.
- Start ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator Client and create a new datasource that links to the converted database.
- Login to new ProjectWise 8.1 datasource using the ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator client and update the datasource configuration as needed to take advantage of the new functionality available in ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator.
- Test operation of new ProjectWise 8.1 production environment to insure that all functionality is operating normally.
- Conduct a complete backup of converted database and also a complete Server back-up of the new ProjectWise 8.1 system to serve as a base-line recovery.
- Install and configure remaining ProjectWise server components such as ProjectWise Web Server, Distribution System and/or Component Services.
- Remove ProjectWise 2.2.x software from servers and workstations.
Suggested Areas for Review after Migration
- As suggested above, a thorough review of client integration and overall operation is recommended before an upgraded ProjectWise 8.1 installation is brought up into production use.
- Review both Datasource and User Settings as a number of new options have been added to both of these areas. The new settings are described in the ProjectWise Administrator Guide.
- It is recommended that Scan for References be run after converting an existing ProjectWise datasource to ProjectWise V8.1. This is to allow for the population of additional data into the ProjectWise database about reference file relationships for both MicroStation and AutoCAD and insures the correct operation of reference data.
Upgrading ProjectWise 3.x to ProjectWise 8.1
Precautions:
- Ensure all documents are checked in before beginning server software and database upgrades.
- Back up ProjectWise 3.x database - a complete cold backup should be made and verified using the database vendors recommended back-up procedures.
- Back up all server-side ProjectWise configuration files, to include DMSKRNL.CFG, PWSERVLETS.PROPERTIES and PWLiteServlets.PROPERTIES. While these files can not be used as is with ProjectWise 8.1, they are useful for review when configuring ProjectWise 8.1.
- Insure that the database software that you are using with ProjectWise 3.x is still supported in ProjectWise 8.1. This information is available in the ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server readme file. The suggestions in this document do not address the conversion between database types (i.e. Sybase to Oracle conversions).
- If there has been API-driven customization of the ProjectWise 3.x system, that customization must be analyzed by the author to determine what should be done to upgrade the customization to ProjectWise 8.1.
- Review any Environment definitions that include SQL Select statements or database triggers to insure that they are current with the ProjectWise 8.1 table structure.
- Bentley recommends that at least one ProjectWise 8.1 client be installed and integration testing with all necessary desktop applications be conducted against a ProjectWise 8.1 test environment before upgrading the ProjectWise production environment.
- ProjectWise 3.x licenses will not operate with ProjectWise 8.1. Bentley will provide test licenses of ProjectWise 8.1 on request to assist with this upgrade process. These licenses can be obtained through normal licensing channels.
- Bentley recommends that the Site Administrators for ProjectWise attend Administrator training for ProjectWise 8.1. There are significant changes to ProjectWise 8.1 and Administrator training will help with the transition.
Suggested Migration Process:
- Conduct necessary preparation and testing as recommended above.
- Install ProjectWise 8.1 client software on all workstations. All ProjectWise 8.1 client components can be installed in parallel with the ProjectWise 3.x client software. The PW.BRG file containing Program Associations and other settings are compatible between ProjectWise 3.x and 8.1, so it should not be necessary to re-configure these settings. When a user first logs into ProjectWise Explorer 8.1, if a PW.BRG file from ProjectWise 3.x exists, the settings from that PW.BRG are imported into a new PWV8.BRG file that is used by ProjectWise Explorer 8.1
- ProjectWise 3.x clients canNOT communicate with ProjectWise 8.1 Application Servers, nor can ProjectWise 3.x Application Servers operate with ProjectWise 8.1 clients.
- Upgrading ProjectWise server components requires that all server components be upgraded at the same time, this includes ProjectWise Application Server, ProjectWise Web Server, Bentley Publisher, Digital InterPlot and any File Transfer or Connection Servers.
- Install ProjectWise server software on production server. ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server service can be installed on the same server as the ProjectWise 3.x Application Server service, however only one service can be active at any time. Also install the ProjectWise 8.1 File Transfer Server on any remote File Servers. As with the ProjectWise Application Server, only one File Transfer service can be active at any given time on a File Server.
- Stop ProjectWise 3.x services including ProjectWise Application Server and JRun.
- Back up existing Database - Once all activity is complete in the existing database, a complete cold backup should be made and verified before continuing.
- Start ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server service as well as any Remote File Transfer Servers.
- If your current RDMS does not meet the version requirements for ProjectWise 8.1, upgrade your RDMS to the appropriate version.
- Convert the ProjectWise datasource to the ProjectWise 8.1 schema using the DMSCONV.EXE utility installed with the ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server. At this time it is possible to also convert all of the existing History files into Audit Trail records. This step requires access to all Storage Areas containing History files and the ProjectWise 8.1 File Transfer service must be running on those File Servers. The conversion of History files to Audit Trail records can be time-consuming, so an option is provided for the History files to be converted at a later time. When conducting a test conversion, be sure to re-set the storage areas to NOT point to your production Storage Areas. The conversion of History files to Audit Trail will delete any History files once they are imported. If this occurs then the History file will need to be recovered from back-up to be available again during production conversion.
- If your database is SQL Server 2000, then your datasource is already able to support Unicode and you can skip to Step 13. For Sybase and Oracle users, continue with the next step.
- Sybase and Oracle users must create a new database (or instance) that supports a Unicode collation. The existing ProjectWise datasource must be exported using the database's administrative tools and then imported into the new database. More information about this process is located at the end of this document.
- Complete configuration of ProjectWise 8.1 server software.
- Start ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator Client and create a new datasource that links to the converted database.
- Login to new ProjectWise 8.1 datasource using the ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator client and update the datasource configuration as needed to take advantage of the new functionality available in ProjectWise 8.1 Administrator.
- Test operation of new ProjectWise 8.1 production environment to insure that all functionality is operating normally.
- Conduct a complete backup of converted database and also a complete Server backup of the new ProjectWise 8.1 system to serve as a base-line recovery.
- Install and configure remaining ProjectWise server components such as ProjectWise Web Server, Distribution System and/or Component Services.
- Remove ProjectWise 3.x software from servers and workstations.
Suggested Areas for Review after Migration
- As suggested above, a thorough review of client integration and overall operation is recommended before an upgraded ProjectWise 8.1 installation is brought up into production use.
- Review both Datasource and User Settings as a number of new options have been added to both of these areas. The new settings are described in the ProjectWise Administrator Guide.
- It is recommended that Scan for References be run after converting an existing ProjectWise datasource to ProjectWise V8.1. This is to allow for the population of additional data into the ProjectWise database about reference file relationships for both MicroStation and AutoCAD and insures the correct operation of reference data.
Converting Datasources to ProjectWise 8.1
There are two parts to the conversion of existing datasources to work with ProjectWise 8.1. The first part is converting the table structure to meet the requirements of ProjectWise 8.1. This part is done using an utility called DMSCONV.EXE. The second part is insuring that the database can support the use of Unicode. A quick description of Unicode from the Unicode Consortium is:
Unicode provides a unique number for every character
no matter what the platform
no matter what the program
no matter what the language.
By supporting Unicode, ProjectWise is better able to store and sort characters from many different languages and character sets. To do this however, the underlying database that ProjectWise is storing the data must also be set to support Unicode. For users of Microsoft SQL Server 2000, this is automatic and nothing must be done. For Oracle and Sybase users the database used for ProjectWise must be converted to support Unicode. This means exporting all of the data out of the database, creating a new database with Unicode support and importing all of the data into this new database. These steps are accomplishing using the tools provided by Oracle and Sybase.
The next sections will go into some detail on how the two parts of the ProjectWise 8.1 datasource conversion are accomplished.
Converting database table structure using DMSCONV.EXE
- DMSCONV.EXE is a command line utility used to migrate the database schema of an existing ProjectWise database to meet the requirements of ProjectWise 8.1
- This utility is delivered with the ProjectWise 8.1 Application Server installation.
- The utility does not require the ProjectWise Application Server service be running, unless History files are also being converted to Audit Trail records.
- If History files are to be converted and they exist in Storage Areas on remote File Servers, the remote File Server must have the ProjectWise 8.1 File Transfer Server installed and running.
Running DMSCONVE.EXE to convert an existing datasource
- Open command window and navigate to the \program files\bentley\projectwise\bin\ directory.
- Running DMSCONV with no arguments displays list of available arguments.
- A typical DMSCONV command line for a database conversion will look like:
- dmsconv -d <ODBC datasource name> -u <username.password> -f <full path and name to log file>
- Example: dmsconv - d PW381 -u dba.sql - f c:\temp\pw381convert.log
- For datasources that have history turned on, DMSCONV will attempt to convert the history files to Audit Trail records. This is somewhat time consuming. This also requires that DMSCONV is able to contact the PW App Server or FTS that has the storage area containing the History files. You have three options on how to handle the history data: The first option is to convert it, which is the default (and deletes the History files, which is why back-up is important). The second is to ignore it and delete the History files from the storage area (which is why backup is important). The second option is enabled by adding the -hfd argument. The third option is to convert the History files at a later time. This allows for the conversion of the datasource and operation in ProjectWise 8.1 without immediately converting the History files. These can be then converted at a later time.
- If SQL Server 2000 is the underlying database, then this converted database is ready for use with ProjectWise 8.1. If Oracle or Sybase, then the database must also be converted to Unicode.
Updating databases to Unicode:
- The basic process of updating a database to Unicode is the following:
- Export data from existing database using database tools
- Create database using UTF8 collation
- Import data into new database using database tools
- Connect to new database with ProjectWise Administrator and login.
- The following example demonstrates the update process for a Sybase 7.0.4 database.
- Export data from existing Sybase database. This done via the dbunload utility in Sybase.
- From command line use the following:
- dbunload -ix -c "uid=<user>;pwd=<password>;dbf=<full path and database filename>" -r <full path and name of reload file> <full path to location of export files>
- Example: dbunload -ix -c"uid=dba;pwd=sql;dbf=c:\data\pw\orig\pw.db" -r c:\export\reload.sql c:\export\
- Create a new empty Sybase database. Make sure that the collation sequence is set to "UTF8". Create ODBC datasource pointing to this new database.
- Run DMSCONV against the new Sybase database to "authenticate" the database for use with ProjectWise. This step is specific to the OEM version of Sybase that is used with ProjectWise. From the command line:
- dmsconv -a -d <ODBC datasource name> - u <user.password>
- Example: dmsconv -d pw -u dba.sql
- The command will return a message about the database being authenticated.
- Import data into newly created and "authenticated" UTF8 database.
- From command line run Sybase "dbsrv7" utility which starts database:
- start dbsrv7 <full path and name of database>
- Example: start dbsrv7 c:\data\pw\utf8\utf8.db
- From command line run Sybase "dbisql" utility which imports exported data into database:
- dbisqlc -c "uid=<user>;pwd=<password>;dbn=<name of datbase file>" <full path and name of reload file>
- Example: dbisqlc -c "uid=dba;pwd=sql;dbn=utf8" c:\export\reload.sql
- Stop the Sybase Database and create a new ProjectWise datasource connected to the converted database.
- Log in with ProjectWise Administrator.