Migrating users and files etc from one server to new server (Best method?)

[IT_Man_Dan]

Morning all,

I'm only a couple of weeks away from needing to move my users and their files and folders from our old 2008 server on our old domain to our new 2008 server on new domain. I have been looking into the easiest, quickest, and most reliable way of moving it all across.

 

It seems that either Robocopy or the file server migration toolkit is the way to go? Can anybody confirm this and reccomend which one is the best and quickest method as I'm on a rather tight deadline.

 

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

Regards

Dan

Edited July 10, 2012 by IT_Man_Dan

[zag]

I just made a backup with backupexec and restored it to the new server.

 

But Robocopy will be just as effective.

[Max_Power]

Have you re created all users on the new domain?

 

We created all users from scratch and then robocopied all files etc over making sure that the path was set into the new user accounts My Documents.

 

Shared areas were different kettle of fish, because we used new users on new domain they all had different SIDs when comparing to old domain, so had to setup all permissions on the shared areas from scratch. But the files copied over easily.

[FN-GM]

Have you re created all users on the new domain?

 

We created all users from scratch and then robocopied all files etc over making sure that the path was set into the new user accounts My Documents.

 

Shared areas were different kettle of fish, because we used new users on new domain they all had different SIDs when comparing to old domain, so had to setup all permissions on the shared areas from scratch. But the files copied over easily.

 

did the exact same here

[IT_Man_Dan]

Nope I've only setup groups so far on the new server. I've got over 1300 users so wanted to just hand pick the ones I wanted group by group and then migrate them to new AD on the new domain with their folders etc. Existing AD has been left to me by my predecessor and is in a BIG mess.

 

what's the best way to go about this then? Create neew users, then move folders across? or use robocopy to move groups across 1 by 1? Would this keep their rights to their home areas etc?

 

Sorry I'm still waking up this morning so probably missing the obvious.

 

Cheers

[rodent43]

We done similar...we was migrating from Novell OES to Windows 2008

 

We created the users using import then I used rsync on a Linux box to mount both the Novell share and Windows share. Rsync is great, once its running just leave it alone...I had to start migrating before the end of term and rsync has the ability to just copy/backup the changed files when run again.

 

As Max_Power said, our shares had to have permissions set but the data went across fine.

[Max_Power]

when you say hand pick does that mean you wont need all 1300 users?

 

You can export usernames from AD on old domain and then import to create your usernames - but as mentioned above you'll have different SIDs on the new domain, so moving the permissions over wont work. (Unless theres a trick I missed last year?)

Once usernames are created, you can robocopy over all the documents and files etc you require. As long as you set the files to copy into the users new my documents or home folder they will gain the correct permissions.

However youll need to re create permissions on shared areas.

 

If it was a straight server migration it would be simple, but because its a new domain with new users it complicates things ever so slightly.

Obviously new usernames will require new passwords as well.

 

Do you have anything more to consider such as email?

[IT_Man_Dan]

No I won't need all 1300 users or some of the groups etc in the old AD.

I don't have to consider email or anything else, (that's my task for September, Google Apps).

 

I've actually created new groups etc on the new AD so am only worried about transfering the users I require keeping permissions to their home areas and existing files etc and moving the home areas to the new server also. The shared areas I can deal with the permissions of so I'm not too worried.

 

I might be making this into more of a headache than it needs to be just because I look at the existing AD and think 'what a mess!!'.

 

Thinking about it, would it be best to just export the users I want to keep from existing AD (can I hand pick?), import them into the new OU's in the new AD and then just copy their home areas and profiles across? Would that keep their permissions to their home areas etc? Surely I'd need to change them all because of the new domain and server name?

 

Sorry it's been a long time since doing anything like this and I'm panicking due to the tight schedule. Am I looking into this the wrong way?

[rodent43]

I would assume that a new AD would create new SID for users once imported so permissions might not stand unless you do use some sort of migration tool.

 

You could write a simple script to use cacls afterwards...something like a csv of students or year of students, set the permission to the directory by the username in file...that is really poorly explained...erm

 

script to basically run through the list of users, set permission to such folder with that username

 

Cacls - Modify Access Control List <- gives tips for cacls

[jklight]

DONT USE CACLS! Since you are on WinSrv2008 uses ICACLS instead! technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753525(v=ws.10)

 

I have used robocopy and subinacl within a batch script to migrate with good results...see also "subinacl /help domain_migration"

[pritchardavid]

Setting permissions are the new domain/server is easy

 

Copy all the users folders to a temp folder on your new file server.

All you need to do is set the correct the correct share permissions (groups recommended) and the root of folder of that share.

Then make your directory's for the users so highlight them all in Active Directory, properties, tick the box for the home drive, choose the drive letter and then type in your share path and then %username% so for example '\\fileserver\year7$\%username%\"

 

This will create all the users folders with the correct permissions for each user. All you then need to do, is move the existing folders that you copied earlier in the temp folder over.

 

For this to work through you need your current users folders named with their username

 

I have used this method a few times, works great!

Edited July 11, 2012 by pritchardavid

[rodent43]

Sorry yes ICACLS

 

well spotted jklight, thanks

[bart21]

Quest migration tools makes this easy.

 

Or for copying the data and ensuring it is up to date before cut over doubletake is good.

 

nick

[IT_Man_Dan]

Ok after looking into my options I've decided to go with @pritchardavid's suggestion and create the users in AD and then copy across their home directories.

 

So here's my new question. Can I just copy all of the Home area folders (named as username) in the root of where they are to be (eg \\server\d\year7) and then create the new users in the new AD setting home directory to \\server\d\year7\%username% ? Would that setup correct permissions to their existing home area folders or overwrite them?

 

Many thanks

[pritchardavid]

yep that will give them the correct permissions, that will all work

[IT_Man_Dan]

Ok I created new users and copied data across. Then I tried to modify the home drive setting for the users to point to where their folders were and got an error saying the home drives couldn't be created because the network path could not be found. I'd set their homedrive to \\server\c\users\students\%username% which is where their data is.

 

does anyone have any ideas why this is happening?

 

Thanks

[pritchardavid]

This is because the path you have done, you need to do this on a shared folder.

 

You should do this

 

share the students folder, make sure you do the share name with a dollar sign at the end, with the correct security permissions of course (both the ntfs and the share)

 

Then you can you this path \\servername\students$\%username%

[IT_Man_Dan]

Thanks for your help @pritchardavid. If I go in to one users properties and put the path to the home folder \\servername\students$\%username% it comes up with a warning saying the folder already exists and asking me if I want to assign rights for this user to access that folder, I click yes and it works a treat.

 

The problem is when I try to do it on multiple objects I get the following error and it doesn't work:

%1 home folder was not created because it already exists.

 

I don't want to have to go through users by user.

Is there an easy fix for this?

 

Thanks

[IT_Man_Dan]

Thanks all, just to let you know I've now solved this using NTFSFix

 

Thanks

Dan

[pritchardavid]

That's good dan!

 

Just to tell you for future use, if you were to have highlighted all the users, then go to the properties, tick the home drive and then put in the path, it would have done it for all the users.