HELP! Tranfer Windows 2003 to New Hardware from SCSI to SATA

[BackCat3]

Hello Guys,

 

Tommrow I've got to go and transfer a server to new hard ware, the current hardware its running on is quite old and it runs on a SCSI drive, the new hardware runs on a SATA drive.

 

Will there be any driver issues, or should it clone just fine if I use Acronis True Image to clone it?

 

I will also need to crack the administrator password as the old IT company has gone AWOL, if I use Hirens Boot CD will this break anything?

 

The server functions as a; Active Directory Server, File Server, Exchange Server.

 

Thanks for your help in my time of need

[plexer]

hmm not sure how well imaging from one set of hardware to new hardware is going to fare.

 

Ben

[strawberry]

if its a dc then it wont have a local admin account so using something like hiren wont work. I have have reservations about just transplanting from one piece of hardware to another, its very rarely the right thing to do. Is there a specific reason your doing it?

[Dos_Box]

Let me get this straight. You have an old server (we'd really need to know what O/S it's running as well) and you don't have the admin password? Do you have any accounts with admin permissions that you can access as this will help in accessing the administrator account and resetting the password.

Secondly I wouldn't image the server. That is not how you 'move' servers. What you should be doing is setting up a new server from scratch and have that take over the roles of the old one as imaging a server is unlikely to work due to the (almost definate) hardware differences between the old and new.

[BackCat3]

Let me get this straight. You have an old server (we'd really need to know what O/S it's running as well) and you don't have the admin password? Do you have any accounts with admin permissions that you can access as this will help in accessing the administrator account and resetting the password.

Secondly I wouldn't image the server. That is not how you 'move' servers. What you should be doing is setting up a new server from scratch and have that take over the roles of the old one as imaging a server is unlikely to work due to the (almost definate) hardware differences between the old and new.

 

The OS they are running is Windows 2003. I don't want to do a fresh install due to the fact that they have many bespoke software installed and configured on it, such as all there doors in the building are controlled by it, and machinary. Yes I told them to simply buy all this equipment of the existing provider but they insited that I clone it onto another server as they fallen out with the ICT company.

 

The IT company wont give the passwords unless they buy out the equipment for like £30,000.00, its like a single core computer with 4GB of RAM, are you sure theres no way of reseting the password?

Edited May 6, 2011 by BackCat3

[Dos_Box]

I take it you are not a techie then? How old is your current server out of interest, and what make/model is the new one? I'm afraid the problem you have is that we (tehies that is) never image servers, which is why server migrations (as they are called) can be so fraught, as every single user, file and specialist piece of software must be reinstalled and reconfigured each time we do it. I'd like to know how they came to a £30,000 quote though!

[AngryTechnician]

It will almost certainly not boot after cloning due to the HAL probably being different and the storage controllers needing different drivers. The most likely result is it will bluescreen at first boot.

 

This is a common problem when performing P2V virtualisations, so the approaches used there may work here.

 

Changing the HAL, if necessary, can be sometimes done by doing an inplace upgrade. It's not a supported scenario and I would be very nervous about doing it on a DC, which this seems to be. More info here: Updating "Standard PC" HAL

 

As for the SCSI controller, it might work if you configure the controller in the BIOS to it's 'compatible' setting, which should emulate IDE. If that doesn't work, you would need to perform a perform a procedure similar to this one, adapted for the storage controller on the new hardware.

 

 

Neither of these procedures to be undertaken lightly on a production DC, especially one that sounds like it is their only server.

 

Personally, I would be tempted to do an actual P2V virtualisation and run the server on Hyper-V Server from now on. If you use Disk2VHD or something similar it should perform the above steps for you and confiogure the HAL and storage drivers for Hyper-V. However, you would then have the additional complexities of managing a Hyper-V environment.

 

 

As for getting into the Domain Admin account, that is a two-step process. The machine does have a local administrator account that is normally completely disabled, but if you boot into Directory Service Restore Mode, it should let you use it. Hirens might let you reset that password for you, otherwise try this: Forgot the Administrator's Password? - Windows Password Recovery - Windows Password Reset

 

Once you have the local admin password, try this: Forgot the Administrator’s Password? – Change Domain Admin Password in Windows Server 2003 AD

 

Note that I've never actually tried this myself, so be sure to have a backup before you try it.

Edited May 6, 2011 by AngryTechnician

[plexer]

My next suggestion was going to be to virtualise it so it can remain intact certainly give it a go before anything else.

 

Ben

[BackCat3]

Okay, say I was to install a copy of Windows Server 2003, can any point my into transfering everything over to it?

 

Edit:

 

To virtualize it, would something like VMWare be fine? As I know and have used that.

 

 

I used to be an IT tech a about 2 years ago but I never touched windows servers mostly unix ones.

[plexer]

Yes you can use vmware and their tools for doing a physical to virtual conversion.

 

You cannot just install a new copy of 2003 and hope to transfer everything and make it work without re-installing the applications which are currently running.

 

If you do not have a domain admin password for the current server you are still screwed if it is a domain controller.

 

Ben

[BackCat3]

All the workstations run on thin clients "wyse vx0" would that be a problem?

[plexer]

It would be very helpfull if you could list the whole scenario you are trying to sort out as it's very difficult to give advice when you keep tossing in new bits of information every so often.

 

Ben

[BackCat3]

Okay,

 

Heres the situation;

 

There is a Windows 2003 Server there that I wish to put onto new hardware, it has many bespoke applications for manufacturing and all of the door controls are handled through there so if I mess it up I'm going to be stuck in there all night. I don't know the passwords, nor do they as the company is basically being held hostage by the IT management company.

 

All of the employees work on thin clients "wyse vx0" that work through the network.

 

I have a replacement server, but it has different hardware most noticeably the hard drive is a SATA but the existing old server has a SCSI. What would be the best way to transfer everything onto the new server? Should I clone the old one and put it in a virtual computer, would this work even with thin clients?

 

This is all in there basement

[sted]

if you have no admin logon all the clients are thin then yes you are going to have a problem. the only even slightly realistic way of completely replacing the server would be to use something like disk 2 vhd and "clone" it to a vm and run that in place of the old server (but disk2vhd iirc need to be run while the system is up so you need an admin logon anyway). It might be worth trying installing server 2003 (same service pack same patches as near as possible etc) on the new server and trying to restore a backup to it but thats a long shot.

 

Without the admin passwords etc it may be easier to start from scratch

 

as to 30k to get passwords get someone to check the contracts and it might be worth checking the school safe to see if an admin password was placed in there for safekeeping or even seeing what other schools they support as some of them may know the password (assuming the company use a standard password across multiple sites) and may be willing to let you know it

 

as to if any of this will work at all never mind 100% there realy is only one way to find out just make usre you have it backed up as many ways as you can think of before you start

[strawberry]

I think the most pertinent thing here is that you stand a very real chance of taking this company offline and destroying information if anything goes wrong. If you aren't 100% sure about what your doing then i'd advise not to do it. Get a company in or sort out the relationship, 30k is nothing compared to the company losing all of its data and not having a working network.

[BackCat3]

I will ensure I backup the entire server to an external hard drive before I even do anything with Acronis, that way if anything does go wrong all of the data is safe and restorable.

[Dos_Box]

Be warned that if it is a domain controller the shift in date/time on restoration from an image could very well stuff active directory and other domain services. I don't think it will be too much of an issue if it is a stand alone controller however you should be aware that Windows servers don't like leaping through time!

[BackCat3]

I think I'll stick my CentOS in future!!, trust me I've tried to get out of this job but the company is under administration now trying to get back on its feet. Although Im very computer competent I've never really gone near Windows Server as never had a purpose too, I've asked a friend who used to work for the same company as me doing ICT installations and take overs and he's going to come with me to help out.

[plexer]

it might be worth checking the school safe to see if an admin password was placed in there for safekeeping or even seeing what other schools they support as some of them may know the password (assuming the company use a standard password across multiple sites) and may be willing to let you know it

 

I don't think this guy is working in a school.

 

Ben

[Dos_Box]

Do you have any passwords to access the server at all?

[BackCat3]

I don't think this guy is working in a school.

 

Ben

 

I don't work in a school but I used to be a member here years ago and you guys always offered solid advice

[BackCat3]

Do you have any passwords to access the server at all?

 

I've phoned the owner, and manager -- They dont have any passwords at all, not even the wireless password.

Would this work: HOW TO: Reset your Lost 2003 Active Directory Admin Password

 

I can reset the local admin account with Hirens or Backtrack easily and use that tutorial?

Edited May 6, 2011 by BackCat3

[plexer]

I don't work in a school but I used to be a member here years ago and you guys always offered solid advice

 

That's what I guessed from the description of the company.

 

I've phoned the owner, and manager -- They dont have any passwords at all, not even the wireless password.

Would this work: HOW TO: Reset your Lost 2003 Active Directory Admin Password

 

To do that you are still going to need to know the directory services restore password, this password is set when a server is promoted to be a domain controller.

 

Just to double check the server you want to clone is a domain controller? the only domain controller for the whole company?

 

Ben

[BackCat3]

That's what I guessed from the description of the company.

 

 

 

To do that you are still going to need to know the directory services restore password, this password is set when a server is promoted to be a domain controller.

 

Just to double check the server you want to clone is a domain controller? the only domain controller for the whole company?

 

Ben

 

Yes its the only server there.

[plexer]

Without knowing an admin password or a user with delegated permission you are stuffed.

 

Ben