Migrating from windows 2000 to SBS 2003

[MCSLOY]

I have a customer who currently has a Windows 2000 server with AD (only server on net) and wishes to replace the server and migrate to SBS 2003. I have looked into the migration process as set out by Microsoft (ie. changing domain name) and quite frankly find this to be a lot more work in comparison to an upgrade to 2003 with new hardware. I have read MS article 884453 and this appears to me to be the answer that I am looking for, but I was wondering if anyone has used the instructions as set out in the article or used other methods to accomplish the task. Any comments/suggestions or pitfalls I should watchout for?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[ShackDaddy]

I have used the instructions in that article several times and have found it fairly straightforward. It's what's known as a "swing" migration.

My only advice is to use the instructions as a tight, rather than loose guide, since a missed step or one taken out of order could make you have to start the process over. In general though, it's a pretty safe migration, since you don't really do anything to make the old server unusable.

Nice thing about this migration path is that you don't have to do much on the clients except for remap the drives and shortcuts. No profile migration needed since the AD is intact.

If you want more information than the article gives you, you can invest a couple of bills in a "Swing Kit" from

http://www.swingmigration.com,

which will give you tons of extra detail and procedures for how to deal with gotchas. Your environment doesn't sound like a complex one, so you may not need all that detail, but I have put the SwingKit to good use in the past.

The Swing Kit details a process in which you even keep the same server name on the new server, so the migration ends up being transparent to the clients and the actual production downtime is less than a couple of hours...pretty cool.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[58sniper]

you don't have to do much on the clients except for remap the drives

And that's certainly scriptable.

I agree on the Swing Migration kit. It's worth it.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP

 

[MCSLOY]

Thank you all for your advice