Neal Spangler

Work Infrastructure

The business database moved to a dedicated server

I moved the shop's FileMaker database to a dedicated server. I rehearsed the cutover, checked rollback readiness and used checks between phases to decide whether to continue.

Dell PowerEdge server
Dell PowerEdge server Photo: Dell Inc., CC BY-SA 2.0
~414 GBdatabase and files on the new server
~103kattached files in the migration
Rehearsedcutover with rollback checks

The problem

Work orders and job records live in this database, and the whole shop works from it. The move meant a fresh server and operating system, plus moving its name, certificates and network routes so every computer still found it.

What I did

  • Defined rollback criteria and checks between phases, with a hardened Ubuntu installation before FileMaker and a working baseline before adding extras.
  • Prepared Clonezilla rollback images and a written restore procedure, with proof artifacts required before sign-off.
  • Rehearsed the cutover sequence: final backup and sync, go/no-go checkpoints, smoke tests and written rollback criteria.
  • Rolled FileMaker Pro 26 out to every computer with an installer that is safe to run twice.
Diagram
Database server cutover checkpoints The diagram summarizes cutover checkpoints: ground rules, a new server built without touching the old one, Ubuntu hardened before FileMaker, extras held back, a plain FileMaker baseline, data copied and validated, APIs enabled, integrations added, a rehearsal and then the real cutover, and finally rollback proof before sign-off. Checks between cutover phases Ground rules before any work New server old one untouched Harden Ubuntu before FileMaker Hold extras until baseline works Baseline plain FileMaker Copy data then validate Enable APIs before integrations Integrations after APIs proven Rehearse then cut over Rollback checked before sign-off
Rollback criteria and checks between the cutover phases.

What I took from it

Preparing rollback and rehearsing the move gave me a sequence I could follow on cutover day. Written checkpoints made it clear when to continue, stop or roll back.

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