Migrating to a new workstation

The purpose of this document is to provide a strategy for transferring a OL Connect (and/or Workflow) installation to a new workstation.

Before installing the software

Before upgrading to a new version, even on a new workstation, consult the product's release notes to find out about new features, bug fixes, system requirements, known issues and much more.

You should also consult the following pages for some technical considerations before installing:

Downloading and installing the software

In order to migrate to a new workstation, the software must already be installed on the new workstation. Follow the Installation and activation guide to download and install the newest version of OL Connect on the new workstation.

If using Clustering in OL Connect Enterprise, please read the Server Clustering page of this documentation for more details relevant to the installation. 
Note that in a Clustering setup, both the Master and all Extensions must be upgraded to the same version.

Backing up files from the current workstation

The first step in migrating to a new workstation would be to make sure all necessary production files and resources are backed up and copied over to the new system.

Note: Although it is not necessary to convert all of your documents when upgrading to the latest version, we strongly recommended doing so.
It is considered "Best Practice" to convert the documents to the version installed and then re-send them to the Workflow Tools.

Backing up Workflow files

To save all Workflow-related files, backup the entire working directory:

 C:\ProgramData\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8

Here are a few important points when transferring these files:

  • If you are upgrading to the latest version of Connect, it is recommended to open each template in Designer, produce a proof making sure the output is correct. Then send the template with its data mapping configuration, Job and Output preset files to Workflow by clicking on File > Send to Workflow...
  • If you still use PlanetPress 7 legacy documents, PTK files can be imported by clicking on the Workflow tool button at the top left corner of the Workflow tool interface. If copying the PlanetPress Workflow 8 folder directly, it's important to delete any file with the .ps7 extension so as to refresh the PostScript file for the new workstation. Deleting the .ps7 files will make Workflow recreate them.
  • The Workflow configuration file itself is named ppwatch.cfg, and is backed up with the folders. However, it needs to be re-sent to the Service to be used. To do this, rename the file to .OL-Workflow, open the file with the Workflow tool, and send the configuration.
  • Locate Custom Plugins (.dll) from the below folder on the old workstation and import them onto the new workstation:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Objectif Lune\PlanetPress Workflow 8\Plugins
    To import the plugins:
    1. Start the Workflow Configuration Tool.
    2. Click on the Plug-in Bar.
    3. Click on the down pointing triangle under the Uncategorized group.
    4. Select Import Plug-in and select the .dll file.
  • Import any external scripts used by the Run Script plugin, making sure they reflect the same paths as on the previous workstation
  • Install any external application, executable and configuration files used by the External Program plugin, making sure they reflect the same paths as on the previous workstation
  • Reconfigure local ODBC connections (i.e. create local copies of databases or recreate required DSN entries).
  • Backup and import other custom configuration files, Microsoft Excel Lookup files, making sure they reflect the same paths as previously.
  • Reinstall required external printer drivers and recreate all Windows printer queues and TCPIP ports.
  • On the new workstation if the "TCP/IP Print Server" service is running in Windows, it is requested to disable that service so that it does not interfere with the Workflow LPD/LPR services.
  • Configure the Workflow services account as in the previous installation. If accessing, reading and writing to network shares, it is recommended to use a domain user account and make it a member of the local Administrators group on the new workstation. Once the user account has been chosen:
    1. Click on Tools in the Workflow Configuration menu bar.
    2. Click Configure Services.
    3. Select the user account.
  • If required, grant permissions to other machines (Designer clients and other servers) to send documents and jobs to the new server.
    • Click on Tools in the Workflow Configuration menu bar.
    • Click on Access Manager
    • Grant necessary permissions to remote machines.
    • Restart the Workflow Messenger service.
  • Reconfigure the Workflow Preferences as previously by clicking on the Workflow button at the top left corner and clicking on Preferences:
    • Reconfigure the Server Connection Settings under Behavior > OL Connect.
    • Reconfigure each of the plugins, where necessary, under Plug-in as previously.
      Capture OnTheGo users may want to enable the Use PHP Arrays option under Plug-in > HTTP Server Input 1.
    • Send the configuration to the local Workflow service.

Backing up Connect Resources

The following resources are used by Connect and can be backed up from their respective folders:

  • Job Presets (.OL-jobpreset):
    C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations\JobCreationConfig
  • Output Presets (.OL-outputpreset):
    C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations\PrinterDefinitionConfig
  • OL Connect Print Manager Configuration files (.OL-ipdsprinter):
    C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations\PrinterConfig
  • OL Printer Definition Files (.OL-printerdef):
    C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations\PrinterDefinitionConfig
  • OMR Marks Configuration Files (.hcf):
    C:\Users\[UserName]\Connect\workspace\configurations\HCFFiles

Where [username] is replaced by the appropriate Windows user name.

Tip: Actually, the path may not begin with 'C:\Users', as this is language-dependent. On a French system, for example, it would be 'C:\Utilisateurs'.

Type %userprofile% in a Windows File Explorer and press Enter to open the actual current user's home directory.

Other Resources

  • OL Connect Designer Templates, DataMapper or Package files, copied from the folder where they reside.
  • All PostScript, TrueType, Open Type and other host based fonts used in templates must be reinstalled on the new workstation.
  • Import all dynamic images and make sure their paths match those in the old server.
  • Make sure the new workstation can also access network or remote images, JavaScript, CSS, JSON, and HTML resources referenced in the Connect templates.

Secondary software and licenses

The following only applies to specific secondary products and licenses that interact or are integrated into the main product.

Image, Fax and Search Modules

  • Reconfigure the Image and Fax outputs with the new host information.
  • Import the Search Profile and rebuild the database in order to generate the database structure required by the Workflow.

OL Connect Send

  • As of version 8.6 the Connect Send plugins are installed automatically with Workflow. If you are using an older version, run the OL Connect Send Plug-in Installer on the new Workstation to re-install the Connect Send plugins.
  • Reconfigure the Server URL and port during the OL Connect Send Printer Driver setup.
  • Re-run the OL Connect Send printer driver setup on client system and select the Repair option to point the clients to the new Server URL.

Configuring the Connect Engines

Any changes made to the Server preferences require the OLConnect_Server service to be restarted to take effect.

  1. Stop the OLConnect_Server service from Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > OLConnect_Server > Stop.
  2. Configure the Merge and Weaver Engines scheduling preferences as in the previous installation
    • Open the Server Configuration from:
      C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Server Configuration\ServerConfig.exe
    • Configure the DataMapper, Merge and Weaver engines preferences (see Parallel Processing preferences). As of version 2018.1 these preferences include the minimum (Xms) and maximum (Xmx) memory utilization for the Server, Merge and Weaver engines.
    • Configure any other options for the Clean-up Service.
  3. Now start the OLConnect_Server service

Configuring the Server Extensions

In the case where the OLConnect MySQL is installed on the new Master Server, it is important to reconnect all Server Extension systems to the new Master Server.

Perform the following action on each Server Extension:

  1. Stop the OLConnect_ServerExtension service from Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > OLConnect_ServerExtension > Stop.
  2. Open the Server Extension Configuration from:
    C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Server Extension\ServerExtension.exe
  3. Click on Database Connection and configure the JDBC Database connection settings so that the hostname points to the new Master Server.
  4. Click on Scheduling and type in the location of the new Master Server.
  5. Start the OLConnect_ServerExtension service.

Transferring software licenses

Once all the above resources have been transferred over to the new server, it is recommended to thoroughly test the new system - in demo mode - with sample files under normal production load to identify points of improvement and make sure the output matches the user’s expectation.
Output generated at this point will normally bear a watermark which can be removed by transferring licenses from the old server to the new one.

  • To transfer Connect and Workflow licenses, the user is usually required to complete a License Transfer Agreement which can be obtained from their local Customer Care department.
  • If you want to transfer your licenses to the new machine right away, you may ask your local Customer Care department for a 30 day Transition activation code for your old machine.
  • Upgrades cannot be activated using the automated Activation Manager. Contact your local Customer Care department.

To apply the license file received from the Activation Team:

  1. Ensure that all services are stopped on your old machine before activating and starting the services on the new machine. Attempting to run the software with the same license simultaneously will not only run into errors but it is a breach of our EULA.
  2. Start the OL Connect Software Activation module:
    C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Software Activation\SoftwareActivation.exe
  3. Click on Load License File to import the license.OLConnectLicense.
  4. Start the Software Activation module on the Extension servers, where applicable.
  5. Click on Load License File to import the above same license.OLConnectLicense.
  6. Restart the OLConnect_Server service and restart the OLConnectServer_Extension service on the Extension servers, where applicable.
  7. The number of Expected Remote Merge and Weaver engines should now be configurable in the Connect Server Configuration module (C:\Program Files\Objectif Lune\OL Connect\Connect Server Configuration\ServerConfig.exe)

Uninstalling OL Connect from the previous workstation

It is recommended to keep the previous install for a few days until everything is completed. However, once your transition is successful and complete, the OL Connect software must be uninstalled from the original server. See Uninstalling.