Migrating Windows 2003 to Dissimilair Hardware

[Robbie Wallis]

Hello,
We are in the process of upgrading our hardware range which requires us to
move windows 2003 installations from single p4 IDE systems to Dual Xeon RAID
SATA systems

We are aware of this article
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;249694

A straight ntbackup failed with reboot loop and also a veritas restore with
just SAM/SECURITY Hives failed

Any ideas if the procedure above for win2k will work in this situation? Any
advice?

Thanks

Robbie

 

[xe77]

Are you migrating member servers or DCs?

 

[SaltPeter]

Hello,
We are in the process of upgrading our hardware range which requires us to
move windows 2003 installations from single p4 IDE systems to Dual Xeon RAID
SATA systems

We are aware of this article
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;249694

A straight ntbackup failed with reboot loop and also a veritas restore with
just SAM/SECURITY Hives failed

Any ideas if the procedure above for win2k will work in this situation? Any
advice?

Thanks

Robbie

Benny Hill use to say when u "assume", U make an ASS out of U and ME. So
i'll be an ASS and assume we are talking about domain controllers. Note that
the article specifies that the HALs must be similar.

You'll probably save yourself a lot of trouble by installing W2K3 servers
while specifying mass storage controllers on new systems. Joining the
domain, promoting the servers to DC if that is your intention. Transfer the
FSMO roles off the "soon to be retired" DCs. Double check that the procedure
was completed properly (ntdsutil, netdom, dcdiag). Wait a week and then
decommision the extra servers via dcpromo. Double check then triple check.

You can also install old OS on new systems, join, promote, upgrade to W2K3,
transfer FSMOs and demote old servers later.

Installations don't take that long, and there is no excuse as far as
sharenames and name resolution since DNS and login scripts should easily
rectify any URL the old systems were sharing out to clients.

 

[Robbie Wallis]

Hello
not a domain controller but standalone web server

Robbie

 

[Robbie Wallis]

Hello
not a domain controller but standalone web server

Robbie

 

[SaltPeter]

Hello
not a domain controller but standalone web server

You can't replicate that standalone without reinstalling it. You'll find
that trying to ghost or backup will fail because of the hal and mass
storage. Since the security manager is itself not being replicated like on a
domain between domain controllers, your only option is to perform setup.

While this may cause you some problems as far as the user accounts and
shares having to be recreated, the DNS server that is providing name
resolution on your network will not affect the availability of the IIS pages
following an installation (unless a CA is employed for SSL). At most you
might have to modify the www pointer in DNS. But not neccessarily (keep the
same ip address).