Upgrading Server - how do I copy/import AD, Users and Shares?

[benzguy777]

I am getting a new server. I want to transfer all the data from our old Win2KServer to the new server.

What I have is AD Users with profile paths, Files, Shared folders with permissions.

I would not want to enter each and every user and also set each and every shared folders permissions.

Hope ther is an easy way or I am looking at a few days of our server being down.

BTW - this is the only Server in our Network. I plan to use the old Server as Backup once I have successfully configured the new one.

 

[abrannon]

Install the new server and run dcpromo. This will install and replicate all of the AD components, DNS if configured, Domain policies. Once you have done this use a Tape backup of the old servers data (i.e. shared folders, and Directories) to restore this data on to the new server. All of the permissions will remain, but you will have to re apply the shares as they are assoiciated with the old Server. Once you have done this, you can run dcpromo on the old server, and do what you want with it. Note: If the new server will have the same name as the old one then you will have (you will need that if you do not plan on changing all of the users mapped drive info) to run dcpromo on the old server to make it a member server after you have promoted the new server to DC, once the old server is a member server you can rename it and promote it back to a DC. Then you can demote the new server and rename it, and then promote it again.

Be sure to allow plenty of time for both servers to fully replicate their state. If not you will be doing some metadata clean up.

This may not be the best way to do this, but this is similair to how I upgraded all of our DC's at remote sites.

 

[benzguy777]

Thanks for the tips! So there is no way to retain/import the shares of the folders?

I have about 50 folders with different users shared to each of them? Do I have to manually add each user to the folder again?

What I usually do manually is to right click on a folder>persmissions> and add a one or more specific user.

Hope there's a way to retain this.

One more problem is that I was planning to only change the RAID CARD to do RAID5. I was not planning on getting a whole new server.

So the only way "if" possible would be to export settings or something to one of the XP Pro clients.

 

[Lwanga]

If all you are doing is upgrading your hardware to a RAID 5, what about using the Windows 2000 backup utility? Do a full backup and save it to tape or a workstation on your domain. Set up the hardware RAID with the same (or larger) partitions you had before and install Windows 2000. Set it up as a member server (do not set it up as a DC), install your tape drivers or map the drive on the PC where your backup is stored. After that do a restore from backup, you will have the same sid, AD, user directories etc.

 

[Lwanga]

Sorry my mistake, please remember to also include "System State" in your backup.

 

[benzguy777]

Will just copying the files to a workstation then to the server be different from using the built-in backup?

 

[chmilz]

Yes it will...

Stick with Iwanga's idea and just complete a full backup of your Server.. (can be done using ntbackup) and then do a restore on your new machine...


Cheers,

Chmilz