How do I migrate CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager Administrator module to a new server?

Prior to starting the migration process, please review this important information:

To avoid data loss, all binders should be synchronized and checked in prior to the migration process.

Warning! The steps below only involved migrating the Admin module. If you have other modules on your server such as the Terminal Services Database, all binders from Engagement Terminal Services Client sessions must be checked into the Central File Room (CFR) prior to migration. The Terminal Services Database is not included with the backup of the CFR SQL databases. The Terminal Server Database cannot be migrated.

The following steps must be followed to avoid data loss.

  1. Close all Engagement applications.
  2. On the new server, install SQL & the same version of the Engagement or Workpaper Manager Administrator that is on the original server. Do not open Administrator Module on the new server. 
  • If Engagement is running on an older version and are attempting to upgrade to a newer version of the software please review this article to review the supported upgrade path:
    • How do I find which CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement or Workpaper Manager upgrade I should install?
    • NOTE: If your old server had Terminal Server Database installed:
      • Do not install the Terminal Server Database module on the new server until after the full migration and upgrade of the Administrator module and the Central File Rooms has been completed.
        • The same would go for Workpaper Manager module installed on the Administrator server; however this is less likely to be the case.
      • After the server migration and upgrade has fully completed for the Administrator module:
        • Perform a modify install to add the Terminal Server Database module to the new server.
  • You can install Engagement 2022 on the new server if you are migrating and upgrading at the same time from Engagement 2020 or Engagement 2021. See step 11 for further details.
  • You can install Engagement 2021 on the new server if you are migrating and upgrading at the same time from Engagement 2019 or Engagement 2020. See step 11 for further details.
  • You can install Engagement 2020 on the new server if you are migrating and upgrading at the same time from Engagement 2018 or Engagement 2019. See step 11 for further details.
    1. Install and configure a Microsoft® SQL Server® instance for Engagement.
    2. Install Engagement Administrator.
      • How do I install CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement, Workpaper Manager, or Knowledge Coach?
      • Warning! After installing do not open, login, or configure the Administrator Module on the new server! This will cause the following message on the workstations once they go to log into Engagement Administrator or Workpaper Manager Administrator:
        • "The firm for the office server you have specified is different from the firm for the other CCH ProSystem fx Engagement profiles on this computer."
      • When running the installer for the first time, the Engagement or Workpaper Manager installer by default will have selected to install "Workpaper Management" if so consider the following below:
        • If running a terminal server environment, then choose to remove this feature from being installed and instead choose to install Terminal Server Database (we do not recommend installing both Workpaper Manager and Terminal Server database on the same server!).
        • If this is a standalone firm running Engagement or Workpaper Manager on a single machine, then you choose to leave this module to be installed with the Administrator.
        • If the environment is not running a terminal server environment or if it is not running as a standalone machine, then this module is not required as this is used for the local workstation installs.
  1. Move back to the original server and open the Admin module.
  2. Locate the Central File Room(s) in the lower-left corner.
  3. Right-click the Central File Room and select Properties.
  4. Locate the workpaper path and document it.
  5. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each Central File Room.
  6. On the original server, run the Database Backup and Restore Utility and perform a full backup. 
  1. IMPORTANT!: Locate the following services on the old server. Stop each of the services and and disable them:
    • SQL Server (PROFXENGAGEMENT)
    • PFXSYNPFTService
    • PfxEngDesktop
    • Pfx.Engagement.WcfServices  (v7.0 and later versions only)
    • Pfx.Engagement.SocketService  (v7.2 and later versions only)
      • To disable the services, review the following steps.
      1. Click on the Windows Start Menu and type in: Services.exe. Click on Services.exe to open the Services window.
      2. Right-click on the each service listed above and select Stop.
      3. Right-click on the services again and select Properties. Change the startup type to "Disabled," and select Apply.
      4. Close out of the Services window.
  2. Copy the .bak file created with the Database Backup and Restore Utility to the new server.
  3. On the new server, run the Database Backup and Restore Utility and restore the .bak file that you copied from the old server
    • If you are using Engagement or Workpaper Manager v2017 or older, double-click on BackupRestoreUtil.exe.
    • If you are using Engagement or Workpaper Manager v2018 or newer, right-click on BackupRestoreUtil.exe and select "Run as Administrator" from the menu.
    • If the version of Engagement or Workpaper Manager installed on the new server is a 2018, 2019, or 2020 release, you will receive a prompt stating there is a "Database version mismatch." If the backup file is compatible to restore onto the new version of Engagement or Workpaper Manager, you will be allowed to proceed. 
      • If you are restoring an older version of Engagement or Workpaper Manager database onto a newer version of Engagement or Workpaper Manager, then run the Pfx Database Utility to upgrade the databases to the correct version after the Backup and Restore Utility completes the restore.
        • The Pfx Database Utility is a version specific utility and can be found in the ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Engagement CD Image\Utilities folder, where "?" is the drive Engagement or Workpaper Manager is installed on.
  4. Open the Administrator module on the new server for the first time.
    • Note: If the server name has been changed, you will be prompted to change the Engagement or Workpaper Manager server name. Click Yes to accept the name change.
  5. Copy the Workpaper folder from the old server to the new server. The default location of the Workpaper folder is located at ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Workpapers, where "?" represents the drive where Engagement or Workpaper Manager is installed. If you find that the Workpaper folder is empty or does not exist in ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Workpapers, then you can check the location of the Central File Room workpapers folder by right-clicking on the Central File Room in the Administrator module and choosing Properties. 
  6. If any of the following folders contain files, copy the content to the corresponding folder on the new server:
  • ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Admin Packages\
  • ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Archive\
  • ?:\Pfx Engagement\Admin\Transition Binder Packages\
    • "?" represents the drive where Engagement or Workpaper Manager is installed.
  1. If your Engagement or Workpaper Manager configuration uses one or more secondary office servers, create an admin package on the migrated server and receive it on all other main and secondary office servers.

If the server name changed, each workstation that has Engagement installed will need to do the following:

  • In 2019.1.3 Engagement there is an additional process at this point in the workstation login.
    • This is a previous issue that has been resolved and the below step under "Engagement or Workpaper Manager 2019.1.3" is not required to be performed in version 2019.2.1 or later and versions 2020.1.3 or later.  Please proceed below to "For Engagement versions 2018.3.2 or earlier, versions 2019.2.1 or later, and versions 2020.1.3 perform the following below:"
For Engagement or Workpaper Manager versions 2018.3.2 or earlier, versions, 2019.2.1 or later, and versions 2020.1.3 or later versions please perform the following below:
  1. Log into Engagement or Workpaper Manager.
  2. A message will display indicating that the program could not find the old server. Click OK. 
  3. Either click Browse and select the new office server, or type in the name of the new office server. Do not add "\\" to the beginning of the server name when typing in the server name. 
  4. Click OK.

For Engagement 2019.1.3 or Workpaper Manager 2019.1.3:

  1. Download the utility attached to this article: RemoveServerNameOnLocalMachineUtil.exe.
  2. Copy and transfer RemoveServerNameOnLocalMachineUtil.exe to all workstations.
  3. On each workstation, right-click on the file and choose "Run as Administrator."
    • When the utility finished, it will report "Server Name Changed Successfully On Local Machine."
  4. Log into Engagement or Workpaper Manager.
  5. A message will display indicating that the program could not find the old server. Click OK. 
  6. Either click Browse and select the new office server, or type in the name of the new office server. Do not add "\\" to the beginning of the server name when typing in the server name. 
  7. Click OK.

Notes:

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