Remove SBS 2003 in favor for Windows Server 2008

[Ben79]

Hi

I have one DC on my network, its a Win2003 SBS R2.

I want to replace this server installation with a fresh Windows 2008 server instead.

Since it will be made on the same hardware. Can I in any form backup the old servers settings? Such as AD/GPO and such? I have Backup Exec 12 with standard components.

Will my client computers run amok if this new server is installed? My plan was to use the same IP and name/domain for it.

Thank you for your reading, more thanks for an answer

Ben

 

[58sniper]

Look into a transition pack, which will strip the limitations of SBS. then, you can build the new server, add it to the domain, and move whatever roles over you want. That way, you don't run into problems with recreating all user and machine accounts, legacyDN problems in Exchange, etc.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Ben79]

Something like this one?

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/techinfo/planning/transition.mspx

But without the transition pack I'm stuck or?

 

[58sniper]

Yep - that basically gives you the ability to treat that server as a normal non-SBS box. You can then separate the applications if you want, and/or move them easily to other server(s).

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Ben79]

Well I'm stuck it seems.

I have the Win SBS 2003 Server license since its part of my MS Partner subscription. And I have the new license for Windows server 2008.

Basicly I just want to get rid of that painfully slow SBS server. And probably my boss will kill me if i buy another license for the transition pack for 1800 Euro

So no way to pick the parts I want to copy; and restore to the new server then?

Ben

 

[58sniper]

Well, if you've already purchased the 2008 licenses, you're stuck. The transition is cheaper, though.

You'll have to do everything manually. Recreate all of the user accounts, machine accounts, export all email. Remove each workstation from the old domain, add them to the new domain, move the user profiles, recreate all of the mailboxes, import all of the mail (legacyDN issues might preclude the users from replying to old internal email). Recreate all your printer shares, data shares, etc....

The transition pack is much better than doing all of that. You maintian the original domain, so all of that headache with moving to another domain goes away. With the SBS limits removed, you can make the 2008 schema changes for AD, as well as migrate Exchange if that's what you want to do (although SBS is really the only time that Exchange is recommended on a DC).

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[Ben79]

My philosophy: Learning by failing

Actually I'm using the SBS server as a ordinary server.
My company is not using any of the bundled software :/

And that is the reaston for removing SBS all together.

However the company only has 10+ clients, so I guess it is not impossible.

Cheers

Ben