Continuing the discussion from Introducing new members on community - 9 Nov 15:
Taking inspiration from this, I’m just wondering how many of you have successfully switched/migrated from SME
How many of you are SME Server administrators?
If not, why? What kind of challenges are you facing in migrating?
What problems are currently preventing the migration?
Given that, we have a straightforward doc about it: Migration from NethService/SME Server — NethServer 7 Final
I’d like to bump this discussion involving my SME friends: @Crazyusb @xmechanic @Bluelake @haliparotin @bjhankins @Erwis @bernhard @drifting @fausp @macwunder @zamboni @stephdl
Would you like to help me?
Happy Thanksgiving! (yea, I’m American…)
I switched, as opposed to migrating. While I had SOGo running on my SME server, calendars were not really in use, and contacts were easily copied to a static file and imported. I had both mail servers online and used IMAP to move the mailboxes, and a external disk to copy shares before retiring the SME box. Only thing I miss with Neth is working VPN on my Mac devices, but since I have other remote control options, it isn’t critical.
OwnCloud is a welcome addition, and works nicely.
just my personal server, online on a VPS, and just because at the time I had to migrate my server, SME did not support an “internet” mode (i.e one eth with a pubblic IP)
AFAIK, L2TP works on Mac OS X.
Did you try? What errors did you see?
You can use also tunnelblick and openvpn, it works like a charm 
Jeff!! Welcome back and thanks for your sharing! We need your expertise, check out our top discussions and chime in NethServer Community
hi! actually for now im not migrated to
Nethserver. im only try Nethserver for Firewall purpose (still testing). My SME Server still stable and secure my data ( using Managing Disk Redundancy in easy way not like Nethserver dont have).
Hi
I have used SME server from version 7 to 9 but grew tired waiting for the upgrade and some of the online bickering, but that’s another story. My biggest gripe with SME was the installation of Postgresql (being a database programmer) this was absolutely essential for our small online e-commerce business. With Ubuntu server / Zentyal server it was a breeze to install, as it was with Centos. So when I came across Nethserver I installed it almost immediately. There were one or two sections that I had some gotcha’s, notably the web connection for the install. With SME this is fairly obvious but I did have several attempts before I managed to complete the Install. Our client machines are all Linux mint so we use Thunderbird for our email client, so transferring emails wasn’t to much of a problem.
The admin control panel is far superior and makes administration a lot more simple. As regards the Postgresql side I have since then set up a separate database server (Ubuntu 14.04 lts), which in reality is far more sensible than having everything on the same box, which can be accessed from the internal network and the web server in the DMZ.
On the Install side of Nethserver I probably spent a couple of days practice installing on to a dummy server until I was confident enough to replace our network server OS (at the time Zentyal) with Nethserver. For any business I feel this time is well spent
Enjoy…
interesting… sincerely I can’t figure the issue you found, since postgresql is not a contrib (in SME language you know what I mean) and so its setup isn’t different from centos (but the part about service startup and the optional fw rule)…
can you enlight me a bit, please? eventally in PM, thank you
@Bluelake ehi my native English friend, thanks for answering! Interesting stuff into your reply 
I’d like to highlight you that postgresql is a standard module on NethServer, since a few months,
Hi Stefano
I seem to remember having a conversation with you some time ago on the SME community pages regarding Postgresql. There was a howto for version 7+ that didn’t translate to version 8+. The problem was the repos (I think…) but whatever, all I could manage to install was version 8.2 and I wanted 9.1. It would seem 8.2 was the default for some reason . The bottom line is, with all that with Ubuntu server it was so simple, and there is the key. The good thing about the exercise was that I did stop to think about implications of having data on a network server, as opposed to a dedicated and protected database server.
Cheers
Hi Alessio
Yes I saw that…but I much prefer to have my data on a separate dedicated server. But it is good to know that Postgresql can be installed if required. Good work.
Cheers
I’ve been running SME Server for a number of years (installed the first one version 7 one in 2008 if I remember correctly). Currently I run admin on 12 SME boxes. Most of them are mail/internet gateways in local small businesses.
Nethserver is appealing due to its more modular design and due to its use of dnsmasq as opposed to the tinydns setup that SME uses.
I’ve hit a few problems in my first, trial migration. First, after reading the migration guide, I didn’t realise that the migration did not import data from the SME backup, only settings. It also seems to have been quite selective in some areas - it imported things like /root/.ssh, but failed to pick up /root/.synbak/tar. Not a major problem, just not what I was expecting.
I performed the Nethserver install to an HP 8000 small form factor machine. I used the unattended install so that the new server would come up with DHCP enabled so that it would get an IP in my local network and I can then drop it into the target network before setting a static IP for it. Worked fine.
I opened a current complete backup from the SME server, expanded the archive to /var/lib/migration, then ran the migration. I’ve not yet copied the data to the test server - I’ll have to get a current copy of the data when I put the server into the target network.
Questions. Is there an equivalent to the “signal-event post-upgrade; signal-event reboot” that SME uses to expand all templates?
On SME, I do a lot of remote admin, and find it very useful to be able to use elinks to access the server manager during an SSH session. Is it possible to use a text-mode browser with the Nethserver server manger? If so, what url do I need to use to access it?
One of the feature in SME that I’ve found useful in the past is the ability to limit server manager access to specific IPs. Is it possible to do something like that with Nethserver?
I’m also wondering if there is a guide to setting firewall rules? I need NFS support on the target server, and so far, I’ve not managed to get the firewall set up to allow NFS access from machines in the local net.
I’m sure I’ll have more questions once I get a bit further with the migration…
No, the migration imports everything: settings AND data.
Obviously, data has to be present in the backup.
AFAIK, the whole /root directory is copied (I did tens of migrations).
I’d say NO, because NS don’t need such a big hammer. But to expand all templates and restart the relevant services (no reboot, a business server shouldn’t be rebooted) you can use:
/etc/e-smith/events/actions/system-adjust
Yes:
elinks https://localhost:980
Access to all network services can be limited through the Network services menu.
I got the error
Unable to retrieve https://localhost:980/:
SSL error
I think that elinks needs a “valid” (read commercial) certificate.
Please try something like:
elinks -eval ‘set connection.ssl.cert_verify = 0’ https://localhost:980/
Your solution is good…But the display is broken, you should use a vpn solution for accessing to the Server Manager
Ehi Paul thanks for your sharings and for having accepted my invite. Please don’t give up and keep us updated on your migrations 
On 12/01/16 22:52, Filippo Carletti wrote:
filippo_carlettiDev Team
January 12
paul_marwick:
I didn't realise that the migration did not import data from the SME backup, only settings.
No, the migration imports everything: settings AND data.
Obviously, data has to be present in the backup. <img moz-do-not-send="true" src="imap://paul%2Emarwick@imap.gmail.com:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/%5BGmail%5D/Drafts%3E1050?v=0" title=":smile:" alt=":smile:" style="max-width:100%;" height="20" width="20"></p>
:) My error - I had forgotten that NS uses different locations for
mail and iBays. The data was there...
paul_marwick:
it imported things like /root/.ssh, but failed to pick up /root/.synbak/tar
AFAIK, the whole /root directory is copied (I did tens of migrations).
On my second attempt it was, but for some reason some things weren't
on the first attempt.
Is there an equivalent to the "signal-event post-upgrade; signal-event reboot" that SME uses to expand all templates?
I'd say NO, because NS don't need such a big hammer. But to expand all templates and restart the relevant services (no reboot, a business server shouldn't be rebooted) you can use:
Thanks. The reboot sequence that SME always seems to need is one o
fmy least favourite features I must admit. I'll keep that one in
mind.
/etc/e-smith/events/actions/system-adjustIs it possible to use a text-mode browser with the Nethserver server manger?
Yes:
elinks https://localhost:980
I’ve not managed to get that to work. Elinks comes up with SSL
errors. Lynx gets a bit further, but still fails to load the
server manager.
ability to limit server manager access to specific IPs
Access to all network services can be limited through the Network services menu.
I’ve not looked closely at that yet.
I ended up trying again, twice. I ended up with errors both times, so I must be doing something wrong. I’ve captured the section of /var/log/messages just before the error starts:
Jan 13 16:17:57 goldie esmith::event[28751]: Migrating existing
database fetchmail
Jan 13 16:17:57 goldie esmith::event[28751]: Migrating existing
database dhcp