Virtualize Windows SBS 2000?

[nmp]

Hello, I would like some thoughts on this. I am contemplating moving a
Windows 2000 Small Business Server installation into a virtual machine
under VMware, along with a few other systems. The target physical system
will be a rather souped up piece of hardware, running some kind of Linux
(that would be Debian 4) in a very minimalistic setup, with VMware doing
most of the work.

Advantages:

1. Less systems making noise, heating up the premises and consuming power
while doing so.
2. Potentially better disaster recovery (just restore a copy of a virtual
machine on any other machine running VMware and it should work without
hassle).
3. A nice challenge

Disadvantages:

1. I do not know nearly enough about virtualization at this moment, hence
advantage #3. I am reading a lot these days.
2. Will it even work?

So, has anyone before me ever done the trick? If you did, could you say
a few words about how you did it? In order to get the WIN2KSBS to run in a
virtual machine I will probably use sysprep, but do I get my system back
exactly like I used to have it? I have AD, Exchange, MSSQL running - those
will perhaps not like it when the System-ID and/or system name changes
after a sysprepped install?

Like I said, any thoughts are welcome. Thank you.

 

[Steven Banks [SBS MVP]]

A consultant out here in Seattle in our PSSBS User Group is running SBS 2003
in a similar fashion. You should have no challenge with SBS 2000 as long as
you get up to speed with VMWare.

Good luck,
Steve

Steven Banks, MCP, CSSA [SBS MVP]
Microsoft Small Business Specialist
Banks Consulting Northwest Inc.
http://www.banksnw.com
http://msmvps.com/blogs/steveb/

Co-Author, Advanced Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices