6.5 Physically Relocating the Appliance

If you physically relocate your PlateSpin Forge appliance you must modify the IP addresses of its components to reflect the new environment. These are the IP addresses you specified during the initial setup of the appliance. See the PlateSpin Forge Getting Started Guide.

The specifics of the relocation process vary depending on whether the new IP address of the appliance at the target site is known (scenario 1) or unknown (scenario 2).

6.5.1 Prerequisites for Relocating Forge

Before you start the relocation procedure:

  1. Pause all replication schedules, ensuring that at least one incremental has run for each workload:

    1. Launch your PlateSpin Forge Web Interface.

    2. In the Workloads list, verify that at least one incremental has run for each workload.

    3. Select all workloads, click Pause, then click Execute.

    4. Ensure that the status Paused is displayed for all the workloads.

6.5.2 Scenario 1: Relocating Forge When the New IP Address Is Known

To relocate the Forge Appliance Hardware when you know its new IP address:

  1. Ensure that replication schedules for all workloads are in a Paused state.

    See Prerequisites for Relocating Forge.

  2. Launch the Forge Appliance Configuration Console (Forge ACC). Launch a web browser and go to http://<Forge_IP_address>:10000.

  3. Log in using the forgeuser account and click Configure Host.

  4. Enter the new network parameters and click Apply, then click Continue to confirm the change.

    If you are relocating the Forge Appliance to a new IP address that is not currently accessible (until you physically relocate the Appliance), you must deselect Verify network settings before saving on the Confirmation dialog before you continue, or the configuration will not be able to set the new IP address.

  5. Wait for the configuration process to complete and for the browser window to display the Configuration Successful popup window.

    If the configuration process returns a timeout error, ensure you have the Forge Management VM correctly licensed with a single container license, then try again.

    NOTE:The link in the popup window for the new Forge ACC address will not work until you physically disconnect your appliance and connect it to the new subnet.

  6. In the vSphere Client, shut down the appliance:

    1. Shut down the Forge Management VM. (In the Forge Management VM Console, select Start > Shut Down.)

      See Shutting Down or Starting the Forge Management VM. Wait for the VM to shut down gracefully.

    2. Shut down the Appliance Host:

      1. At the Forge Management VM Console, switch to the ESX Server console by pressing Alt-F2.

      2. Log in as the superuser (user root with the associated password).

      3. Type the following command and press Enter:

        shutdown -h now

        Wait for the Appliance Host to shut down gracefully.

    3. Power down the appliance.

  7. Disconnect your appliance, move it to the new site, attach it to the new subnet, and power it on.

    The new IP address should now be valid.

  8. Launch the Forge ACC and log in using the forgeuser account, click Configure Forge VM, specify the required parameters, then click Apply.

  9. Verify that the setting are correct, click Continue, and wait for the process to complete.

    NOTE:If you configured the Forge Management VM to use DHCP, do the following after the relocation:

    1. Determine the Forge Management VM’s new IP address. Use the vSphere Web Client to access the Forge Management VM, then look up the IP address in the VM’s Windows interface.

    See Accessing the Console for the Forge Management VM.

    2. Use the new IP address to launch the PlateSpin Forge Web Interface, then refresh the container. Click Settings > Containers > then click the Refresh icon .

  10. Resume the paused replications.

6.5.3 Scenario 2: Relocating Forge When the New IP Address Is Unknown

To relocate the Forge Appliance Hardware when its new IP address is unknown:

  1. Ensure that replication schedules for all workloads are in a Paused state.

    See Prerequisites for Relocating Forge.

  2. Shut down the appliance:

    1. Shut down the Forge Management VM:

      1. Access the Forge Management VM Console.

      2. Click inside the console to access the Windows desktop.

      3. Shut down the Forge Management VM. (Select Start > Shut Down.)

        Wait for the VM to shut down gracefully.

    2. Shut down the VMware host:

      1. Log in to the local console of the Forge Appliance, then press Alt+F2 to open the VMware console.

      2. Enter halt at the console prompt, or press F12 to initiate the shutdown sequence.

        The shutdown sequence will switch screens, hiding the VMware shutdown process. Press Alt+F2 to return to the screen that displays the shutdown sequence.

        The System halted message is displayed on the console when the shutdown is complete.

    3. Power down the appliance.

  3. Disconnect your appliance, move it, attach it to the new network, then power it on.

  4. Set up an administrative computer (a laptop computer is recommended) so that it is able to communicate with Forge at its currently configured IP address (the IP address at the old site), then connect it to the Appliance using either of the following methods:

    • Connect both machines to the same Ethernet switch or hub.

      -OR-

    • Connect the two machines using an Ethernet crossover cable.

  5. Launch the Forge ACC. Open a browser and go to http://<Forge_IP_address>:10000.

  6. Log in using the forgeuser account, then click Configure Host.

  7. Enter the new network parameters and click Apply.

  8. Wait for the configuration process to complete and for the browser window to display the Configuration Successful popup window.

    If the configuration process returns a timeout error, ensure you have the Forge VM correctly licensed with a single container license, then try again.

    NOTE:The link in the popup window for the new Forge ACC address will not work until after you connect the appliance to the new subnet.

  9. Disconnect the computer from the appliance and connect the appliance to the new subnet.

    The new IP address should now be valid.

  10. Launch the Forge ACC and log in using the forgeuser account, click Configure Forge VM, specify the required parameters, then click Apply.

  11. Verify that the setting are correct, click Continue, and wait for the process to complete.

    NOTE:If you configured the Forge VM to use DHCP, do the following after the relocation:

    1. Determine the Forge VM’s new IP address.

      Use the vSphere Web Client to access the Forge Management VM and look it up in the VM’s Windows interface. See Accessing the Console for the Forge Management VM.

    2. Use the new IP address to launch the PlateSpin Forge Web Interface, then refresh the container. Click Settings > Containers > then click the Refresh icon .

  12. Resume the paused replications.