I'm looking to create a copy of our Baan IVc4 production server to a development server (clean) for some 'what-if' development in a short period of time. Would it be possible to simply take an image of our current server (ghost) and apply it to the other server (off the network) then rename it to a different server name? Oracle/license parameters would have to be changed to recognize the new server/IP. Would initially share the license with the current production server, then eventually use its own (new) licenses.

Can this be done? ...or is it better to install initial BaanIV software and Oracle from Disk, copy contents of 'c:\baan' from production to new, import company 000, create tables, import other companies?

Finally, is there a minimum disk size for the 'c' drive in a Baan IV / Oracle 9i setup, where data/log/temp files will be on the 'd' drive?

1. I don't have experience with ghost images;
2. Baan can be copied but you need to install the portingset again in order to fill the registry;
3. You can clone your oracle instance meaning you don't have to run a long import job.

Rgrds,
Han

I did notice you are on Oracle and we are using SQL Server, but this is what we do - and I am sure you can apply the same to Oracle.

First of all we install SQL Server at the exact same path as on the live server. Also all the database files needs to be at the exact same path (including drives in Windows). Then we make a simple installation of Baan also at the exact same path. Basically what we want is to get the correct environment set-up in the registry, environment variables and so on. Maybe it would be enough to install the portingset as Han suggests.

Then we shut both systems down - License server, shared memory and SQL server. Now we copy the complete $BSE directory (we exclude tmp and parts of PMC) and all the database files: baandb, master, msdb and all other databases. We make sure we place each of the files on exactly the same path as they are in the live system (even if that file does not exist in the freshly installed test server).

The only thing left is to make sure that your new Baan environment points to the correct database and this is done by editing the db_resource file ($BSE/lib/DEFAULTS) and the tabledef6.1 file ($BSE/lib).

Now you can safely fire up both environments and you have a perfect copy. It is of course recommended to verify that entering a record in both of the environment results in a new record in the correct database.

I am sure this can be done also for Oracle even if I don't have the details. After the initial set-up it can also be automated and if you are using cold backups of $BSE and the data files you can also use those whenever you need.

Good Luck,
/Thomas