Server hardware migration

[d-taylor]

Hi,

 

As well as our CC4 site, I am also responsible for supporting a small vanilla Windows network of 6 computers. Initially it was a workgroup network with no central storage or backup. I've then set up a Windows server as a domain controller which host home folders, DNS, DHCP, Printers, passes traffic on to the router etc. using one of our old servers.

 

However, this server is in desperate need of being replaced! (Hence my thread on HP servers.)

 

This is the first time I've done a project like this, I had some help from a technician at another school so spent quite a few hours getting everything setup, and then about a week on site (although some of this was half days.)

 

While I appreciate I could save some time by exporting and re-importing GPO's, I haven't got a week to spend there this summer as we will be rebuilding all our CC4 computers and various other jobs need doing.

 

When we went from CC3 to CC4 RM did a server hardware migration- they copied the 'image' from our old servers to our new servers (then they upgraded from Win 2k to Win 2k3 and then did the CC4 upgrade.) They had a very large external hard disk and it took them a day to transfer the data between 2 domain controllers. Therefore if I did this I could just copy everything to the new box and be up and running in a day.

 

Only problem is, I don't know what software they used. I asked someone at RM before and it was a symantec product- similar to Norton ghost but it also slipstreams in drivers for the new hardware. I remember vaugley looking into prices, and the higher end version of this software cost about the same as RM would charge to do such a migration. There was a lower end version for less but don't know how suitable it would be.

 

Does anyone know what software I'm talking about or how I'd go about performing such a migration?

 

Many thanks,

 

Dan

[john]

Hi Dan, I've migrated over from hardware platforms using Acronis True Image for Servers with Universal Restore (the UR is an add-on) that has worked for me fine in the past no issues, I've even moved Exchange Servers with it! Basically you can do it over a LAN Connection or to tape, DVD, HDD etc and you make an image of it and it allows you to add extra drivers and resets part of it so you can just install them when it restores and boots up so it is possible to do.

 

The other way if its just a small LAN, is to add the new server as a second domain controller and DNS and let it replicate over to it, migrate over the DHCP, file shares etc (all using free Microsoft Migration Toolkits) and then demote the old one and get rid of it that way, again could easily be done in a day.

[d-taylor]

Thanks John, I'll check out some demos of Acronis online.

Do the free Microsoft Migration Toolkits copy the file structure I've created for user home folders, shared areas, start menus, desktops etc. and automatically amend the GPO's with the new server name so they work on the new server?

 

Thanks,

 

Dan

[john]

Thanks John, I'll check out some demos of Acronis online.

Do the free Microsoft Migration Toolkits copy the file structure I've created for user home folders, shared areas, start menus, desktops etc. and automatically amend the GPO's with the new server name so they work on the new server?

 

Thanks,

 

Dan

 

Hi Dan, I don't think they were that clever, BUT Oz from OP Software wrote Edumove (search it on here) which is just for home directorys and it updated the AD Paths etc so that would be a good tool to use for them

 

The MS tools do work through folder trees etc so you can say move folder X and all sub folders, files and permissions etc

 

Hope that helps

[morganw]

If it were me I would be looking at free virtualisation software and trying to do a physical to virtual conversion instead of a hardware swap. Then you end up with something that is portable across any hardware for the future. In fact I would be tempted to re-setup from scratch with one VM per function so that you could scale it across different hardware in case of performance problems or the need to expand. Also gives you more backup and failover options.

[synaesthesia]

The software they used is Symantec BESR (Backup Exec System Recovery) - however it's use is with many caveats, you can't just run it and migrate away. The documentation for such a migration is many pages. In a nutshell, there's a list as long as your arm of services to disable, hosts of settings to tinker and change etc all before the image is taken. And then when it's reapplied, all of those services need restarting etc; and BESR's driver handling system is diabolical (it's built on Vista PE, so enough said!)

 

I've done it succesfully (but not in production, not something I'd risk in a live environment) using Acronis True Image Enterprise with Universal Restore (the gubbins that allows restoration to different hardware). Process is a bit quicker with that and appears to work fine. Might be an idea to get hold of it and give it a go to a virtual environment beforehand.

[jamesfed]

Just as morganw said I'd go with a Physical to Virtual Conversion - see if any of your existing servers support Hardware Assisted Virtualisation (there are plenty of tools out there to test this) and then use something like Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 or Citrix XenServer and save yourself the trouble of migrating from one server to another (and potentially save a little off your energy bill in the process).