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- What's NEW in Desktop DNA ver. 2.5 11/13/2000
-
-
- New or Updated System Scripts
-
- - Printers (cross-platform)
- - Dial-up Networking (cross-platform)
- - My Documents
-
- New Application Scripts
-
- - Adobe PageMaker
- - IBM ProComm
- - InnoculateIt
- - Novell Client
-
- Be sure to check the Miramar web site for additional script updates!
-
- http://www.miramar.com/products/ddna/scripts.htm
-
-
- DDNA 2.5 Improvements
-
- - Multi-user - no longer limited to moving current user items to
- the currently logged in user. Administrative user can migrate
- local and domain accounts from multi-user systems. This feature
- also allows administrative users to perform a migration of a
- single user without being required to log in as that user.
- - Muscle Migration - no longer limited to migrating settings or
- applications based on scripts that Miramar has written. This
- feature writes generic scripts for any applications detected.
- - Advanced Destination of search filters - Redirect the items found in
- a search filter to a new location on your destination machine.
- - Exceptions list - Some files can be listed to never be migrated. Our
- default list included several files in the system directory. You
- may add to this list if you want to prohibit a file from ever
- migrating. This is based on absolute path.
- - Compiled Scripts - Scripts are no longer distributed in ASCII format.
- This improves performance. If you write your own script, it will
- be compiled when it is first run. The compiled scripts have the
- extension 'dnasym'.
- - The script engine and the application have been modified to better
- handle foreign character sets such as European characters and DBCS
- characters used in Asian versions of Windows.
- - Examples installer option during install to help advanced users
- understand command-line parameters and how they might use
- command-line. If you have any difficulties installing Desktop DNA
- on WinNT or Win2000, make sure that the user has at least 'Power
- User' rights.
-
-
- Muli-user limitations
-
- Desktop DNA can migrate user profiles and create accounts on the domain
- or the destination machine as needed, but there are a couple of
- limitations.
-
- - For accounts that are created by Desktop DNA, users are not assigned to
- any groups. If the users need 'Power User' rights, then you must
- add the user to the Power User group after the migration is complete.
- Likewise, if the user needs Administrative rights, add the user to
- the Administrators group.
- - In Windows NT or Windows 2000, profiles for accounts that exist
- (or authenticate) locally will always be migrated to profiles for
- local accounts and profiles for domain accounts will always migrate
- to profiles for domain accounts on the destination machine.
- - No NTFS permissions for files and folders are migrated by Desktop DNA
- version 2.5.
-
-
- Muscle Migration Considerations
-
- - Do you need this feature? If we already have scripts that migrate the
- settings you need to migrate, do not press the button Muscle
- Migration.
- - Can you migrate everything at once? We recommended doing your
- migration in two steps. First migrate all of the Muscle Migration
- items. Then do a second migration using Desktop DNA scripts to
- migrate settings and your data. Minor problems might occur with
- shortcuts or application paths if you combine Desktop DNA script
- migrations and Muscle Migrations into the same migration.
- - Can you disable Muscle Migration? If you do not want anyone in your
- organization using the Muscle Migration feature, simply remove the
- file DNAMassMigration.dll found in the components directory which
- is a sub-folder of the Desktop DNA application folder. This will
- prohibit Desktop DNA from generating any scripts on-the-fly.
- - Are the items that you would like to migrate closely related or
- dependent on system files or drivers? If you have applications
- that run as services or that control system specific features of
- windows like networking tools, display adapter utilities, sound
- utilities, or anti-virus programs, do not select these for migration
- using Muscle Migration as there are less likely to migrate properly.
-
-
- Advanced Destination of search filters Considerations
-
- - Put all items found by a search filter in a single folder.
-
- For any search filter that you have defined, you can select a new
- location for all of those items found and migrated by that filter.
- Many people might want to use this feature to reorganize all of
- their work from the old system by moving the files into a single
- folder. If this is your intent, then overwrite options may become
- very important in your migration. If any two files exist on your
- source machine with the same name, and you opt to put all items
- into a single folder, then the default overwrite option (overwrite
- when newer) will ensure that the file with the newest date is the
- only one migrated.
-
- However, this may not be your intention for files with common names.
- For example, if you migrate *.txt by search filter and redirect all
- of these files to one destination folder c:\data\text files, then
- you might find that several readme.txt files existed on your source
- machine, but only one was found at the end of the migration. Is
- it the one you wanted to have on your destination machine?
-
- So if you are not sure if there are files that exist on your source
- machine with duplicate names, it might be better to let Desktop DNA
- preserve the directory structure and migrate all search filter
- items to a unique location on your destination machine.
-
-
- - Create previous directory structure from a new path that you choose.
-
- This check box is checked by default so that Desktop DNA does not
- overwrite your data with some other file on the source system that
- may have the same name. With this option checked, files found by
- search filter located in many different locations on your source
- machine will be consolidated to a new folder with subfolders
- reflecting relative paths to the original locations.
-
-
- Cautions
-
- - NT- to - NT application migrations are limited to identical paths,
- for some applications. Application migration from one drive letter
- to another may result in difficulties uninstalling or running
- applications later.
- - Close all other applications before migrating. Leaving applications
- open while migrating may results in difficulties running Desktop DNA
- and using the migrated application at a later date.
- - Memory allocation for Desktop DNA, when migrating applications,
- should be 300 MB of disk space for virtual memory under Win 98/95
- and 300 MB pagefile for Win NT.
-
-
- Additional Info
-
- - LOGS are an important component of Desktop DNA. They record what has
- transpired during the migration. Initial log settings are General
- level indicating only the most severe warnings, errors, and other
- notifications will be given. If you require details on your
- migration, please set all of your logs to 'Very Detailed'. Debug
- and Network logs are the exceptions to this rule, and are listed in
- the Options menu logs under Advanced button. The Debug log is
- useful for determining what script commands were performed and why a
- migration failed to achieve your expectations. The Network log,
- however, records every networking packet. This log is only worth
- saving when a particularly rare networking problem cannot be
- resolved any other way.
-
- - UNDO will reverse the actions of a particular migration. By default
- the undo logs are set to 'Always create unique undo log. Append
- date-time stamp.' This option requires very large amount of hard
- drive space on your destination computer when you migrate several
- applications and your data. After verifying that all of your
- applications are properly working and desired settings have
- migrated, you may opt to delete the Undo log files or archive them
- to tape or CD. Undo operations can be partial or complete. Each
- option selected in the settings, applications, files and folders,
- and search dialog boxes can be undone individually. If you
- experience difficulty restarting your computer following a
- migration, it is possible to restart your computer in a 'Safe Mode'
- for Windows 95 or 98 systems and in a 'No network hardware profile'
- in Windows NT. After restarting your computer, you may start
- Desktop DNA and selectively undo the migration options that caused
- the reboot problem or simply undo all migrated items.
-
- - VALIDATION is the operation that alerts you of potential problems
- when migrating from your source computer to your destination
- machine. These alerts can be given before you migrate; review and
- heed them carefully. For any alert starting with 'Should not
- migrate...', keep the check box selected and press the Fix All
- button which will uncheck those options for you. Even though
- Desktop DNA may issue these alerts, it will still perform migrations
- if you insist.
-
- - EXCEPTION Logs notify you of potential migration problems that were
- undetectable until the migration was completed, or that require
- manual operations you will need to perform to achieve full
- functionality from your migrated applications. For example, if you
- use Netscape browsers and have multiple profiles defined on a
- particular computer, the Exception logs will instruct you how to
- manage those profiles in a migration.
-
-
- Identifying Network Problems
-
- Desktop DNA networking uses Microsoft's TCP/IP protocol to transfer
- files and registry settings between computers. TCP/IP must be
- configured properly before expecting Desktop DNA machines to
- connect to each other.
-
- If you have problems connecting over a TCP/IP network here are a few tips:
-
- - Do not migrate using Desktop DNA networking; create a DNA File
- instead. Create a DNA File on your source computer with all of the
- options that you want to migrate. Copy the DNA File from your
- source computer to your destination machine using a removable
- cartridge, a writable CD, other networking such as NETBEUI, IPX/SPX,
- or AppleTalk, or whatever other means you have for copying large
- files. Next, open the DNA file on the destination system and
- apply the options you wish to migrate.
-
- - If TCP/IP is properly configured on your computer and bound to
- the network adapter, then attempt to PING your destination system
- from your source computer. To accomplish this test, determine your
- IP address. If you are in WinNT or Win2000, type 'IPCONFIG' at the
- command prompt. If you are in Windows 95, 98, or ME, type
- 'winipcfg' from the MSDOS command prompt. Identify the IP address
- associated with your network adapter. Then from the command prompt,
- type 'PING 192.111.111.111' where the 192.111.111.111 is replaced
- with your own unique address. You should see several responses
- (usually four) which report 'Reply from 192.111.111.111: bytes=32
- time=2ms TTL=127' or a similar response. If you see a response
- such as 'Request timed out', your network is not properly
- configured. Seek advice from a networking expert.
-
- - If PING responds correctly, but you do not see the expected
- source machine while viewing the find others dialog box in Desktop
- DNA, it may be that your machines belong to different subnets. In
- this example, class C networks will be shown and the IP addresses
- and subnet masks reflect that. When a Desktop DNA source machine
- 192.111.200.111 (using a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0) is 'waiting
- for connection', it broadcasts its IP address to the rest of the
- subnet to announce that it is ready to migrate. These broadcast
- messages do not generally get transmitted through routers. If you
- are in another subnet, the destination machine with IP address of
- 192.111.111.111 will have no way of listing your source computer.
- In this particular case, you will need to type the IP address of the
- source computer in order to connect with the destination. You may
- press the IP Address button on either the connection status page
- or the search for other systems page.
-
- - If PING responds correctly but even typing the IP address you are
- unable to connect two Desktop DNA computers for a network migration,
- try using Microsoft networking that is only bound to TCP/IP to
- verify that TCP/IP is properly configured. If you have tried all
- of the tips identified above and still have problems connecting
- your source computer to your destination computer, contact Miramar
- Systems, Inc. technical support or visit our web site
- (www.desktopdna.com/support/knowledgebase.html) for access
- to our knowledge base.
-
-
- Uninstall Issues
-
- - There are several ways you may run Desktop DNA.
- You may install the files to your computer, or run from the CD or
- a shared network drive.
-
- - If you install Desktop DNA...
- Registry keys, short cuts in the program group (and desktop if
- desired), and program files are created on your computer.
- Uninstall removes all of these items except for Undo and Log files.
-
- - If you run Desktop DNA from a CD or shared network drive...
- Registry keys are required to be written to your system. Use the
- command line switch '/u' to remove registry keys only.
-
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