Vault incompatibility between Windows operating system versions

Vaults created by older versions of TeamWork (up to version 2008a) are not compatible with upgrades of the Windows operating system running on the TeamWork server. This issue affects server operating system upgrades as well as vaults moved or restored to a new server with a different operating system version. The reverse is also true; vaults are not compatible with downgrades of the Windows operating system running on the TeamWork server. The reason is Windows API sorting functions that support National Language Support (NLS) change between each Windows version (including Windows XP, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 at a minimum). Technical information about this issue can be found in this MSDN article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd464640%28VS.85%29.aspx.

Vaults created by newer versions of TeamWork (version 2008a SP1 and later) are also affected by this issue but the operating system version and NLS version information are stored in the vault and a check of this information is performed in the software that will prevent the vault from opening on a different operating system unless the vault is properly upgraded as described below. A vault restored from a backup that was created on one Windows version to a server running a different Windows version will be invisible and an error added to the Application event log.

Warning    The only way to safely transfer an existing vault from a computer running one Windows version to another version is to import the vault from the computer running the first operating system into a new vault on a computer running the second operating system. After import, no further action is necessary. For information on "Access denied" errors that can occur when importing vaults between servers running different versions of Windows, see http://www.cyco.com/extranet/Meridianknowledgebase.nsf/DBUI/NT0000A8CE. For information on the vault corruption that can occur if a vault is not upgraded properly, see http://www.bluecieloecm.com/extranet/Meridianknowledgebase.nsf/DBUI/NT0000A91E

Note    Windows Vista and Windows 7 are not supported by BlueCielo as a production quality server platforms and should be used for evaluation and demonstration purposes only.

The following table lists the most common scenarios involving Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 where compatibility problems can occur and the corresponding solutions.

Warning    When importing vaults in these scenarios, the source vault must be hosted on the Windows version under which it was created and the target vault must be hosted on the target Windows version. Therefore, it is not possible to upgrade a server operating system in-place (on the same computer) and two computers must be used.