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Migrating to a New Server

Overview​

This article describes how to migrate a Netwrix Auditor instance to a new server. The migration covers the following phases:

  1. Installing Netwrix Auditor on the new server
  2. Exporting and importing the Netwrix Auditor configuration
  3. Migrating the Long-Term Archive
  4. Migrating SQL databases
    • Optional — skip if keeping SQL on the original server or a remote host
  5. Final setup and validation

Instructions​

Installing Netwrix Auditor on the New Server​

When moving Netwrix Auditor to a new server, ensure the version and build of the Netwrix Auditor instance on your new server matches the old server version and build. Your new server should meet the Software Requirements and Hardware Requirements for the appropriate version:

Exporting the Netwrix Auditor Configuration File​

  1. Stop and disable all Netwrix Auditor services on your original server, except the following:
    • Netwrix Auditor Configuration Server Service
    • Netwrix Auditor Core Service

IMPORTANT: This prevents Netwrix Auditor from running collections during the migration process.

  1. Disable any scheduled tasks for your Netwrix Auditor instance. These will be present in case any monitoring plan for Netwrix Password Reset, Netwrix Inactive Users Tracker, or Event Log Manager have ever been set up.

  2. Run Command Prompt as administrator and execute the following commands. You can use any target path for the export; the path must end with naconfig.xml:

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Netwrix Auditor\Audit Core
configserverDbProcessor.exe export -target "C:\naconfig.xml"
  1. Input an encryption password for the backup file.

You have successfully exported the configuration file. Navigate to the target path to copy the config file to your new server. The file will be imported to the new Netwrix Auditor instance towards the end of the migration process.

Long-Term Archive​

By default, Long-Term Archive is located at C:\ProgramData\Netwrix Auditor\Data. If you have previously migrated it, check Settings > Long-Term Archive to find the current location.

  1. Navigate to your Long-Term Archive location and copy the entire folder.
  2. Transfer the folder to the new Netwrix Auditor server. Keep Long-Term Archive on a separate drive rather than the default location to prevent rapid storage consumption on the C drive.
  3. Note the Long-Term Archive location on the new server — you will need it during the Final Steps.

NOTE: You can split the Long-Term Archive migration into two steps if the size of your ActivityRecords folder does not allow for a quick migration. See How to Move Long-Term Archive to a New Location for more information.

SQL Databases​

Decide whether to migrate your SQL Server databases or keep them in your current SQL Server instance before proceeding with the Netwrix Auditor migration.

Final Steps​

All further steps should be performed on your new Netwrix Auditor server instance.

Step 1 — Stop Netwrix Services

Stop all Netwrix services on the new server, except the following:

  • Netwrix Auditor Configuration Server Service
  • Netwrix Auditor Core Service

Step 2 — Import the Configuration File

  1. Run Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Execute the following commands:
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Netwrix Auditor\Audit Core
configserverDbProcessor.exe import -source %PATH_OF_EXPORTED_NACONFIG.XML% -target "C:\ProgramData\Netwrix Auditor\AuditCore\ConfigServer\Configuration.xml"

NOTE: The -target path above assumes the Working Folder is in the default location (C:\ProgramData\Netwrix Auditor). If the Working Folder location was changed, this path will need to be modified. To verify your Working Folder location, run the following command in PowerShell:

Get-ItemPropertyValue -Path "HKLM:SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Netwrix Auditor\DataPathOverride" -Name "(Default)"

If this command returns no value, no changes are needed. If it returns a custom path (e.g., D:\Working Folder), replace C:\ProgramData\Netwrix Auditor in the -target parameter with that path. For example: -target "D:\Working Folder\AuditCore\ConfigServer\Configuration.xml".

Step 3 — Start Netwrix Services

Run PowerShell as administrator and execute the following command:

Start-Service -Displayname Netwrix*

Step 4 — Update the Long-Term Archive Path

Launch Netwrix Auditor and proceed to Settings > Long-Term Archive. Change the path to reflect the migrated Long-Term Archive location. If you did not migrate SQL databases, skip Step 5 and proceed to the Validation Checklist.

Step 5 — Update the SQL Server Reference

  1. Launch SQL Server Management Studio.
  2. Click Properties for the instance name.
  3. In Netwrix Auditor Settings menu, select Audit Database in the left pane and click Modify under Audit database settings.
  4. Specify the SQL Server instance name and credentials of the account used to write data to SQL databases. Refer to the following articles for additional information on SQL permissions and report server database deployment:

Important Notes Post-Migration​

  • If you have previously had any omit lists configured, you will have to either copy the contents of these omit lists or copy the files to the new server. For additional information on omit lists and their locations, refer to the following article: How to Use Omit Lists.
  • You cannot migrate Event Log Manager or its configuration files. Remember to manually copy the configuration over to the new server. Event Log Manager data will be migrated in case you have migrated SQL databases.
  • Netwrix Password Expiration Notifier and Netwrix Inactive Users Tracker do not store any data — their reports are sent daily via email. For more information on how to migrate these Netwrix tools, refer to the following articles:
  • User Activity data will not be collected until the Core Service is redeployed after migration. For more information on how to reset Netwrix Auditor User Activity Core Service to allow the monitoring plan to redeploy with the new configuration settings and registry keys, review the following article: Uninstalling User Activity Monitoring Agents.

Validation Checklist​

Run the following checks for your migrated Netwrix Auditor instance:

  1. Run a search with blank parameters (an open search).
  2. Run a report on a data source you are auditing.
  3. Confirm your monitoring plans have carried over.
  4. Apply the Auditor license. Refer to the following article for additional information: How to Apply Netwrix Auditor License.

IMPORTANT: The SSL certificate previously used for Integration API will be missing from the certificate store in your new Netwrix Auditor server. Generate a new SSL certificate for Netwrix Auditor Integration API − refer to the following article for additional information: Integration API.

Monitor the system over the next few days to confirm the migration has been completed successfully. As long as the system is operable and you can view migrated data, you can delete all traces of Netwrix Auditor from your former server, including uninstalling the software.