Migrating from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 on the same server
Before I delve into the detail of the migration, I wanted to cover the subject of a single box upgrade in slightly more detail, where you load SBS 2008 onto the SBS 2003 hardware. Provided the existing hardware is up to scratch, this is possible.
You have two choices here. One is to use Hyper-V to create two virtual machines on the same system, one for SBS 2003 and the other for SBS 2008. The other is to move the SBS 2003 system to a virtual machine, temporarily, during the course of the migration.
Both of these solutions require a very good understanding of virtualisation technology, but I will describe the processes briefly for each scenario.
Migration with Hyper-V running SBS 2003 and SBS 2008 on the same system
Your system will need to conform to the minimum requirements of Hyper-V and have at least 6 GB of memory in the system as well as two additional disks. You need to feel confident that the server is capable of running for the next two years, at a minimum, to make it worthwhile. The minimum requirements of Hyper-V can be found on the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/servers/hyper-v-server/system-requirements.msp.
- Take a full system backup before starting.
- Take existing system and add RAM and two disks.
- Install Hyper-V Server onto one disk.
- Install Hyper-V manager onto a client PC.
- Configure the network so that both systems can connect to a real physical network that has your Internet router and firewall on it as well as each other.
- Configure a virtual machine with pass-through disks that point to each of your SBS 2003 disks. You will only need to configure 1 GB of memory as you only need enough to perform a migration.
- Start and boot the SBS 2003 virtual machine.
- Check that all services start (or can be started if there is a timing issue) and that all data is available.
- Install the Integration Services Setup disk, run the setup, and reboot when asked.
- Create another virtual machine with 4 GB of RAM that points to the other new disk, again as a pass-through volume. This will be the SBS 2008 boot disk and can be booted with or without Hyper-V later.
- Perform the migration as per the chapters of this book.
- Finish the migration to the point where the SBS 2003 box is turned off.
- Turn off the SBS 2003 virtual machine and store, recycle, or dispose of the disks.
Tip
More information on this process along with links to further information can be found on my web site at http://davidoverton.com/r.ashx?U.
Migration by moving SBS 2003 to a temporary virtual environment
You will need virtualisation software, such as Microsoft Virtual PC and you will need to ensure that your license for SBS 2003 enables you to run it on another machine, the virtual machine, such as with Software Assurance.
Once again, I will not cover all the details and you will need some third-party tools to complete the process.
Process for installing SBS 2008 on the same box as 2003
- Back up the SBS 2003 server.
- Ensure you have a temporary machine (such as a laptop) with enough storage to have all the SBS files from your SBS 2003 system and at least 2 GB of memory.
- Run a third-party P2V (Physical to Virtual) tool to copy your SBS 2003 disks into Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs).
- Download, install, and run Microsoft Virtual Server and start the SBS 2003 system using the VHDs created above.
- Install new disks on the old system.
- Carry out the migration tasks as documented in this chapter.
- Turn off the SBS 2003 virtual machine.