Upgrade to v12/Licensing question

[imabev]

I am upgrading to version 12 tomorrow. I would like to keep the phone system running during the upgrade. I have the option to install v12 on a temp server - changing the IP address to the known 3CX IP so that the phones will still connect. I will then prepare the existing 3CX server with V12. When it's ready I will switch back to the original server.

First off, will this work? Secondly, can I move the license from one server back to the other?

 

[cobaltit]

Yes

 

[lneblett]

The answer is "yes, maybe". What you propose to do physically is certainly possible. The only issue that you might run up against is that 3CX monitors the activations and may not activate the license if it triggers one of their settings that makes them think that perhaps the terms of the license agreement are being violated. They don't reveal exactly what the settings are, but the change of MAC address and/or IP are some of the characteristics examined. I also know that they look at how many times such changes have occurred.

If this should occur and you end up with the free version instead of the version you actually paid for, a call to support will usually straighten things out.

 

[jpillow]

Yes this does work however as Ineblett said 3cx monitors the activations and unique MAC addresses so when a license is activated on i think may 3 or 4 different MAC addresses they will suspend the license you will have to call in to get it unlocked. So be aware though if this the first time the license is being actiated on a machine with a different mac address you will be good to go.

 

[imabev]

Thanks for everyones comments.

I just realized something - when we originally tested 3CX we purchased a 8ch license. We normally use a 32. When we needed to upgrade we couldnt add to the 8 to make it a 32 so we kept it and pretty much abandoned it.

I could put the 8ch on the "failover" and keep the 32 on the primary. We rarely have more than 8 concurrent users so that would certainly work in a pinch or emergency. I think I need to be careful on the restore - its going to try and restore the 32ch license on the failover (I will overwrite the 8ch).

I guess the phones dont seem to know that its a new server on the other end? As long as its the same IP address of a 3cx server it could be in my office or a different office in Norway. As long as it can get there.

 

[lneblett]

The software is pretty much universal. It is the license key that determines the features sets and the number of calls. So, when you load the software and restore the 32 call backup, it will essentially become the 32 call edition as based on the key. I think you noted this below.

I am not certain that the 8 call software will really buy you much as a failover. Presumably, there will be on-going changes that occur with the active (32) system that will not be mirrored on the failover. You could certainly load it as an 8 channel system and use it for testing and such, but in the event that you really need a failover, you will still likely want to restore the backup of the active system to ensure that all the voicemails, names, extensions and other settings remain available to the user base.

 

[imabev]

This went relatively well. When I switched over the phone system (changed IPs on the servers) the phones re-registered on their own. If I restarted services on the new server the phones re-registered faster. One thing is my pattons (4114's) did not register - I needed to reboot them to get them recognized in 3CX.