Qlik Sense & NPrinting On‑Prem to Private Cloud – Feasibility and Considerations

[balajibc64]

Hello,

We are currently running the following Qlik components in an on‑premises environment:

• Qlik Sense Enterprise
  • Central Node
  • Rim Node
• Qlik NPrinting Server
• All components are Enterprise editions
• Operating System: Windows Server 2016
• No dedicated primary/secondary (failover) setup is in place

We are planning to migrate this setup to a private cloud environment. As per our internal TS team, the proposal is a lift‑and‑shift migration, where the servers will be moved as‑is and only the IP addresses will change.

Queries:

1. Is a lift‑and‑shift approach feasible for Qlik Sense and NPrinting in this scenario?
   Will the environment function correctly if only the IP addresses change?

2. What are the key technical considerations or risks we should be aware of during such a migration (e.g., certificates, services, communication between nodes, scheduling, integration components, etc.)?

3. What steps or validations should be performed before and after the migration to ensure:

   • Qlik Sense Central and Rim node communication remains intact
   • Qlik NPrinting can successfully connect to Qlik Sense
   • Reloads, tasks, and reports continue to work as expected

4. Given that we do not have a HA / primary‑secondary setup, are there any recommended best practices we should follow for a private cloud deployment?

[Eduardo_Monteiro]

Hi @balajibc64 

What matters the most in this environment is:

• Hostnames/FQDNs — Qlik Sense and NPrinting are configured around server names, not IPs. If hostnames remain the same (even with new IPs behind them via DNS), the migration is much cleaner.
• SSL/TLS certificates — Qlik Sense uses its own internal CA and issued certs. These are bound to hostnames. They survive a move if names don't change.
• NPrinting's connection to Qlik Sense — uses certificate-based trust (hub certificate exported from Qlik Sense QMC). This must be re-validated post-move.
• See: Connecting Qlik NPrinting with Qlik Sense | Qlik NPrinting Help
• Windows services and service accounts — these are hostname/domain-aware and need to maintain the same level of privileges within the new environment.

If FQDNs are preserved and DNS is updated to point to new IPs, the migration has a high success rate. If hostnames change, significant reconfiguration is required.

Regarding your questions:

Queries:

1. Is a lift‑and‑shift approach feasible for Qlik Sense and NPrinting in this scenario? Yes
   Will the environment function correctly if only the IP addresses change? Yes, it should.

2. What are the key technical considerations or risks we should be aware of during such a migration (e.g., certificates, services, communication between nodes, scheduling, integration components, etc.)? The main consideration should be what will be different from the current scenario, such as a new network, a new service account and etc. If you are planning a lift and shift, system-wise, everything should be the same.

3. What steps or validations should be performed before and after the migration to ensure:

   • Qlik Sense Central and Rim node communication remains intact. Try triggering a task reload, assuming your rim node is a dedicated scheduler, or accessing Hub and opening/navigating through apps if it's a web engine.
   • Qlik NPrinting can successfully connect to Qlik Sense. Check the connections and try generating fresh metadata from apps
   • Reloads, tasks, and reports continue to work as expected. Trigger tasks, check SMTP, and run test reports.

4. Given that we do not have a HA / primary‑secondary setup, are there any recommended best practices we should follow for a private cloud deployment? This is a whole different conversation. Daily snapshots/backup would be a good start in case you are not able to bring your server back quickly.

Also, check the following articles:

• Migrating Qlik Sense Enterprise to a different host
• Qlik Sense Migration: Migrating your Entire Qlik S... - Qlik Community - 1586020

I hope this helps, and best of luck with your migration.

Regards,

[balajibc64]

@Eduardo_Monteiro Thank you so much for your response. 

Quick Question, What about the Qlik licensing part ? How it will work ? Same license will it work for On-prem and Cloud ? We are using like Professional and Analyzer license (subscription-based).

[Eduardo_Monteiro]

If you are doing a lift and shift, the license should come over. Even if it doesn't, for some reason, you can simply reapply.

Regards 

[balajibc64]

Hi @Eduardo_Monteiro thanks for your input. But here our requirements is little changed. 

Current Environment

• Deployment: On‑premises
• OS: Windows Server 2016
• Qlik Sense: Qlik Sense Enterprise on Windows – May 2024
• Qlik NPrinting: Installed and integrated with Qlik Sense (Qlik NPrinting version Feb 2024 SR3) 

Target Environment

• Deployment: Private Cloud
• OS: Windows Server 2022 (Windows 2016 support is ending)
• Qlik Sense version: Same version – May 2024
• Qlik NPrinting: Same version as current

Questions : 

• What are the recommended steps / best practices to migrate Qlik Sense from Windows 2016 to Windows 2022 in a private cloud?
• Is export/import (backup & restore) supported for this type of migration?
• Can we restore the repository backup from the on‑prem environment directly into the private cloud setup with the same Qlik version?
• Are there any special considerations for:
  • Certificates
  • Licenses 
  • Service accounts
  • Reload tasks and data connections
  • Qlik NPrinting integration?
• Is an in‑place OS upgrade supported, or is a side‑by‑side migration mandatory?

Kindly suggest. 

[Eduardo_Monteiro]

Hi @balajibc64 -

• What are the recommended steps / best practices to migrate Qlik Sense from Windows 2016 to Windows 2022 in a private cloud? Same as beforementioned.

• Is export/import (backup & restore) supported for this type of migration? Please be more specific. If you are talking about running the postgres backup on the old environment and then restoring it in the new environment (same Qlik Sense version and hostname), it should work.

• Can we restore the repository backup from the on‑prem environment directly into the private cloud setup with the same Qlik version? Yes.

• Are there any special considerations for:
  • Certificates - Always back up certificates.
  • Licenses  - Make sure you have them in case you need to re-enter (serial/control or slk).
  • Service accounts - Ensure the same privileges in the new environment.
  • Reload tasks and data connections - validate that it can still reach the target.
  • Qlik NPrinting integration? - redeploy certificates in case the connection is lost.

• Is an in‑place OS upgrade supported, or is a side‑by‑side migration mandatory? An in-place OS upgrade will mostly lead to an unfunctional environment.

I hope that helps. Let me know if further clarification is needed.

BR,

[balajibc64]

@Eduardo_Monteiro  Thank you. 

Another Question, Our current servers are named SWDH0001/2/3, but due to organizational standards, the server names will be different in the private cloud.

Are there any specific steps or best practices to follow during migration when server names change?

[Eduardo_Monteiro]

Hi @balajibc64 

Are there any specific steps or best practices to follow during migration when server names change?

Yes. Here's your best friend for that task: Qlik Sense Enterprise on Windows: Change hostname ... - Qlik Community - 1713945

I've performed it several times, and I can ensure this article is flawless.

Regards,

[balajibc64]

Hi @Eduardo_Monteiro As I asked earlier, I got my new private cloud server. Below are the steps I performed. 

Step 1 : Installed the Same Qlik Sense version in the private cloud server (Only Central Node) 

Step 2 : After Installed, while accessing the QMC it is asked the license key file. So I copied the existing SLK key from my on-prem environment and pasted. Then activated. Its success. 

Step 3: In my On-prem environment, stop qlik service from my RIM node, and Central node except QS repostiroy DB service. 

Step 4 : Then I took the Database backup and generate the file called QSR backup.tar file. 

Step 5: Then copied the file into private cloud server. 

Step 6: In private cloud stopped the service except QS Repos. DB service, then try to restore the backup tar file and it was success. 

Step 7: After that I tried to open the QMC and Hub. Unable to open. Error like "Cannot reach this page".

Note: My On-prem servername and Private cloud server is different. How to proceed things. 

Kindly suggest. 

[Lech_Miszkiewicz]

Hi @balajibc64 

Have you followed documentation?

There is dedicated section for different hostname: https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense-admin/May2026/Subsystems/DeployAdministerQSE/Content/Sense_DeployA...

cheers