Migrating to new server

[OneMadCoder]

I'm having a new server built and would like to ask the opinion of you folks. What's the best method to migrate the users and current network configuration over to the new box.

I current have 54 users all using exchange and would like to have them all using the new box by next sometime next week.

The current box is running Windows Sever 2003 for small business and the new will be the same.

 

[wahnula]

http://www.sbsmigration.com

is mentioned in this forum constantly...and I assume for good reason. Never did a migration myself (yet) but after reading about this method and its approval by MVPs here, it would be my first choice.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[ShackDaddy]

Yes, I second Tony and can add some more details.

The great thing about the swing migration detailed at sbsmigration is that you don't actually take your production server down until the new server is just about ready to completely take over. Most of your configuration on the new server is done offline. Then you take Exchange offline on the old server and move the database to the new one, bring it online, and you are just about ready to go live with the new server. It minimizes downtime and gives you a fairly simple way to roll back if things just aren't going right.

Plus you learn a whole lot about the guts of AD and SBS along the way. This is not a software package, but a "documentation kit" that includes detail technical walkthroughs to make sure you can complete the migration without any serious problems. It also comes with email support from the writer of the kit, and he's very available and helpful.

Dave Shackelford
Shackelford Consulting