Switching between Domino server versions (Windows Edition)

When you upgrade a server there is always the possibility, that something goes wrong (you did a full backup,did you?) when running the new version. So you need to have a "Plan B" how to fall back to the original version. When upgrading from Domino 6.x to Domino 7.x or 8.x you can prepare a small script that allows to automate the fall-back and the fall-forward. This is what you need to do:

Let us presume your Domino program files location is D:\Domino and your data location is E:\Domino\data

1. Shut down your Domino server
2. Copy the program directory:

   COPY D:\Domino\*.*D:\Domino6\*.* /S /E /V

3. ZIP away all system templates in E:\Domino\data\*.ntf (We will restore the ones that are not provided in the update
4. Install Domino8 as update into D:\Domino and E:\Domino\Data
5. Unzip the templates from Step 3. Do not overwrite exisiting files. Older versions of Domino run fine with the new system templates but the new Domino servers must have the new templates.
6. Create the file SwitchDomino.cmd in a convenient location (Desktop?) with the following content:
   

   @ECHO OFF
   CLS
   NET STOP  "Lotus Domino Server (Dominodata)"   <<<---- You need to check the exact name of your service
   IF EXIST D:\Domino6\*.*GOTO R8TO6
   IF EXIST D:\Domino8\*.* GOTO R6TO8
   ECHO Something is wrong - NEITHER D:\Domino8 nor D:\Domino6 seems to exist
   PAUSE
   GOTO EXIT
   :R8TO6
   RENAME D:\Domino Domino8
   RENAME D:\Domino6 Domino
   GOTO EXIT
   :R6TO8
   RENAME D:\Domino Domino6
   RENAME D:\Domino8 Domino
   GOTO EXIT
   :EXIT
   NET START  "Lotus Domino Server (Dominodata)"
   

7. Restart your server

If you need to fall back you just execute the cmd and after a few minutes you switched versions. Caveat for R8: R8 can use the ODS48 format. Once you are there, there is no fast way back since you would need to use compact to revert to the previous ODS format which can take quite some time.
Remark: You do data backup do you?

On Linux systems you play with symlinks, but that's a story for a different time.