Symptoms
You wish to move your Softalk Mail Server program to a different computer.
More Info
This FAQ applies to Softalk Mail Server v8 only.
Note If you have installed other components of the Softalk Collaboration Suite, such as WorkgroupShare v2 or Softalk Organizer, and Softalk Mail Server is configured to use a Jet database (or SQL Server Express with reference data stored in files) then all SCS components must be installed on the same server. If you move Softalk Mail Server then all other SCS programs must also be moved to the new server.
When moving a Softalk Mail Server installation from one computer to another the data must be moved to the same path (including drive) on the new server. This is because records in the database will make reference to data files in the data folder. This is specified as an absolute path. If you wish to change the location of the data folder, whether as part of a move to a new computer or not, refer to this FAQ How do I move the data on my Softalk Mail Server to another folder or drive?
Detail
Before making any changes to the Softalk Mail Server installation, shutdown the Softalk Mail Service (or program) and close the Administrator program. You should make a note of your company name and licence keycode and to consider making a backup copy of the Softalk Mail Server data folder and database file as a precaution. By default the database file is located in
%commonprogramfiles%SoftalkDataSCS.mdb
Copy the Softalk Mail Server installation folder, %programfiles%Softalk Mail Server (by default), including sub-folders, to the new location on the new computer. Copy the data folder (if not included in the above) from %commonprogramfilesSoftalkData to the same path on the new computer. Install Softalk Mail Server onto the new computer. Set the data path to point to the folder where the new data folder has been created. If Softalk Mail Server is configured to use SQL server, select the SQL option in setup and choose the server that holds the Softalk Collaboration Suite database. Softalk Mail Server will detect and use your existing settings, including your licence key. If you are not running it already, this would be a good opportunity to upgrade to the latest version of Softalk Mail Server.
When re-installing you may be given the option to install as an executable or as a service. If you install as a service and wish to revert back to the executable, or vice versa, just re-run setup. When installing onto the new server your settings will be preserved, provided you choose the correct installation path and data path and, when using SQL server, the correct database server. If the Softalk Mail Server Administrator opens with a clean database file, use the ODBC Administration applet in Control Panel (Administrative Tools) to point the data source to the original database file.
When the original Softalk Mail Server is not running the existing Mail clients will indicate that the connection to the server could not be made. Each user will be prompted to enter the computer name or IP address of the new server and once this has been done the client-server connection will be re-established.
Your original installation will serve as a backup copy during the move. When the move is complete, and the new installation has been tested, remove the Softalk Mail Server installation from the original computer using the Add/Remove Programs applet in Control Panel. Check that the Softalk Mail Server installation folder has been removed and delete it if necessary.