Moving Visual Intercept Web Sites

Moving a Visual Intercept Web Site from one server to another is a fairly straightforward procedure. Most customers leave their current Visual Intercept Web sites in place and set up and run a Visual Intercept Web test environment on the new server to ensure that the new web site is ready for rollout to users. This month’s tech tip covers the steps necessary to successfully move your Visual Intercept Web site.

Steps to Take Before Moving your Visual Intercept Web Site

1. Ensure you have the latest release. Click here to visit Elsinore’s update page.
2. Confirm that IIS 4.0 or above is installed on the machine that will serve as your Visual Intercept Web Server.
3. Determine the location of your shared documents, reports, rules, and queries directories.
4. If the directories will be stored on a machine other than the Visual Intercept Web server, you will need to select an IIS Anonymous User account other than the default, local IUSR_<MachineName>.
5. Back up the shared directories mentioned above prior to your new installation. You can move them to the Web Server after you installation has been completed.
6. Determine if you have any customizations on your current Visual Intercept Web Site. (e.g., Have you modified any of the .asp pages of Visual Intercept Web? Have you changed any of the field names or hidden any fields? Have you changed tab names or hidden tabs from view?)
7. If you have customized the appearance of Visual Intercept Web in any way, back up all of the .CSS files, XML strings tables, and .ASP pages that have been modified.
8. Document all style sheet and .ASP changes made to your Web site. This will provide a good guide to restoring changes if there are problems.
9. Back up your Visual Intercept Profiles directory (located, by default, in the C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\VIWebDev\Profiles directory).
10. Back up your viWebConfig.xml file.
11. If you will be moving your installed Visual Intercept Notification service to the new Web Server machine, obtain all of the configuration information from the currently installed notification service (IP address of SMTP Server, Network account used to run service, etc.). Alert your Mail Server administrator so that they can make any necessary configuration changes in terms of relaying permissions.
12. During the installation select the option to leave the installation files on your in place as this will allow modifications and repairs of the installation if needed.

Methods of Moving your Visual Intercept Web Site

There are a few ways of moving your Visual Intercept Web site. Your choice of method will be impacted by whether you are also planning to perform a major version upgrade (one that affects the database schema) at the same time. If you are not performing a major upgrade, the best method will be to simply copy your existing Visual Intercept Web files from the old C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\viwebdev directory to the new machine after first having installed Visual Intercept Web on the new server.

Steps to moving old Visual Intercept Web Application over by Copying

1. Install Visual Intercept Web on the new Web Server machine. This is required because the .DLL’s for Visual Intercept Web must be installed for the Web application to function properly.
2. Copy your existing Visual Intercept Web files to the new server’s Inetpub directory.
3. In IIS on the new machine, create a new Virtual Directory and point it to the Visual Intercept Web files in Inetpub.
4. Right mouse-click on the new virtual directory and choose All Tasks |Configure as Visual Intercept Site.
5. If desired, move your reports, docs, rules, and queries directories to the new server. Otherwise, make sure that the Visual Intercept Web application is pointed to the location of these directories. These directories are set in the Integration tab of the MMC-Snap In. To access this tab, right-click on the Visual Intercept Web application and select Properties. Select the Visual Intercept Tab and enter login information if prompted. Click the Options button and then select the Integration tab.
6. If you are moving your notification service location, configure your notification service by selecting Windows Start | Programs | Visual Intercept Enterprise | Visual Intercept Services.
7. After all configuration changes have been made, restart IIS.

Steps for Installing New Visual Intercept Web Application

1. Install Visual Intercept Web.
2. Make sure you know the location of the database server so this information can be entered in during the installation process.
3. Determine the DSN name that will be used.
4. Determine where you want the Web files installed.
5. Configure Visual Intercept Web in the IIS MMC-Snap in to point to the current database location.
6. Copy your existing Visual Intercept Web profiles directory to the new server.
7. If desired, move your reports, docs, rules, and queries directories to the new server. Otherwise, make sure that the Visual Intercept Web application is pointed to the location of these directories. These directories are set in the Integration tab of the MMC-Snap In. To access this tab, right-click on the Visual Intercept Web application and select properties. Select the Visual Intercept Tab and enter login information if prompted. Click the Options button and then select the Integration tab.
8. Set proper file permission to Inetpub and Visual Intercept installation files. For a detailed explanation of setting up security privileges for the Anonymous User account, please click here.

If you have other questions about issues not included in or beyond the scope of this Tech Tip, please contact Elsinore Technical Support Services at or 866.866.0034, option 2.