Replacing a server 2003, with another one. Can I clone the server?

[ccie2b2004]

Hello Everyone,

I am replacing a Windows 2003 server with another one. The thing is that the new server will do the same task as the older one, and to make it easier on everyone, I would like to keep the same server name. I know about the SIDs issues, but, Is there a way to "ghost" the older server's content into the new server? Both servers are DELL, but the new server is bigger, dual processor, hardware raid, 4 HD's, etc.

Any advice on how to go about this would be greatly appreciated in how to make this swap as painless as possible for the network, the users and myself (of course)


Many thanks,

Luis

 

[bobsonbemoi]

You should be able to get the job done using Acronis TrueImage Server with Universal Restore. What you do is you make an image of the old server, put the .tib file somewhere, say a DVD. Then make a bootable CD of Acronis TrueImage Server with Universal Restore, pop the CD in and boot from it. Select that you wish to restore an image. Assuming that the two servers are different hardware-wise, you'll need to use Universal Restore which is a feature you'll have on your bootable CD of Acronis TrueImage. After you select the image file to restore to the new server it'll ask you if you're restoring to a different machine and whether you want to use Universal Restore. UR strips off the hardware specific data from the image. I've tried it myself, works great.