Calling Computer Experts

[XTR2Turbo]

Any advice or tips gratefully received

I have a small office setup with Microsoft small business server. This has file store, internet access, exchange email accounts etc running and there are 5 client PCs.

I set it all up about 12 months ago and it has been working well but the server PC is now getting a bit old and I have bought a new replacemenmt.

The question is how best to move to the new PC. I have read about using backup and then restore but this seems to be recommended only with like hardware which is not the case here.

Is there an easy way to copy accross accounts etc if I just create a fresh install of SBS on the new machine?

Any suggestions or tips appreciated.

David

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

There are a variety of software tools for transfering Exchange users accounts and the like, but on SBS systems with only a few users, it seems easier to just do it manually.

Only used the restore from backup method once, and although the machines were identical spec, it was always a little problematic afterwards.

These days, we usually take it as a housekeeping oportunity to do a clean install. We normally copy company shared folders across directly, making sure all users "My Documents" type folders are held on there own machines etc.

We then export the Exchange mailboxes to pst files, ready for reimport on the new system.

The upside of this approach, is a nice clean server install. The downside is it takes a little time, and you need to rejoin the client pcs to the domain.

(Never tried bringing up a new SBS install as a bdc to an existing SBS server, as I didn't think it was possible; but that's how we do it with non SBS systems).

[XTR2Turbo]

We then export the Exchange mailboxes to pst files, ready for reimport on the new system.

Thanks

This is what I was planning on doing but it is teh mail that makes me nervous.  Please could you explain this bit. Do I export or just copy? Will there be a pst file for each user?

Will I need to recreate each user account or can these be copied? I don't really want to loose passwords etc either or is necessary to just reset them all?

I found a product called SBS swing that suggested that the users would not be able to reply to migrated mails etc.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

All we do is a sort of manual version of what tools like Microsofts command line tool Exmerge does. But where Exmerge runs a sort of batch process to export the contents of each users mail box to a seperate Outlook pst file, we've just done it manualy. Literally opening up each users Exchange mailbox in turn from a copy of Outlook, or on occasion from each users PC and individual copy of Outlook. Then from Outlook using the import/export tool to export the whole mailbox to a pst file for that user.

The first step, (ignoring other data to be transfered in this example), we reset all the users passwords, to a temporary default of our own making. Disconnect from any external internet connections, (so that the flow of mail is stopped). Export the mailboxes.

Then on the new server, recreate the required user accounts, current SBS versions pretty much let you do this in list form, rather than individually. So we've never needed to do it with enough accounts to warrant anything more automated.

We then rejoin the client pcs to the new server's domain. (I've always been told to do this, even though the domain name is the same, as it keeps all the security id's in sync with the new active directory on the new server).

At this point we normally set up new Outlook profiles, (with new ost files on the local pc) from the Control Panel, before opening up Outlook. (Again, have got away without this in the past, but always ran into problems eventually)

With Outlook open, you can use import/export to import the previously created pst into that users new Exchange mailbox.  Doing it this way preserves all folder trees, emails, contacts, appointments etc.

All emails transfered like this will intact as far as headers etc are concerned, so yes your users can still reply to old emails etc.

It all sounds a bit arduous written down, but in practice, it's all pretty straightforward.

Our final step, once all the transfers are complete is to either assign new passwords, or to set them all to need changing at next log on.

[DerekJ]

I know this is not the answer to your problem, but when I had to junk my old NT4 server I installed  Linux on my new server.

It's a culture shock for a Windows guy, and took a bit of research on the Web, but it works VERY WELL. Especially as it's FREE.  I like free stuff      

I left the clients on Windows so they don't see much change.

[XTR2Turbo]

We then rejoin the client pcs to the new server's domain.

At this point we normally set up new Outlook profiles, (with new ost files on the local pc) from the Control Panel, before opening up Outlook. (Again, have got away without this in the past, but always ran into problems eventually)

I will try your manual route. I'm much happier with a clean server install.

Please could you just clarify "rejoin client PC's" and how you create a new outlook profile.

Many thanks

David

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I used to do the full longwinded approach of setting the individual users pcs’ back to being on a workgroup and then rejoining the new domain. But my business partner demonstrated to me that simply joining the "new", all be it identically named domain seemed to do exactly the same.

To do this, I right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop or start menu, and select properties. On the Computer Name tab, you'll find the network joining options. I always use the upper button, (labelled "network ID", I think), as this seems to give better more consistent results. It'll then lead you through a set of simple questions; essentially you'll want to tell it, yes you have a business domain etc. and keep clicking next, eventually you'll get to the stage where you can fill in the "new" network details.

When all that's completed you'll be able to log on to the new SBS domain for the first time from that pc. My next step is normally to go into control panel, select "mail" and add a new profile. This will prevent Outlook, when you open it, trying to find the old data. In fact, you can also set up the new Exchange account from this "mail" icon as well. That way, Outlook will be pointing at the correct mailbox the first time you run it.

At that point, you can import the previously created pst into your mailbox folder, this will then synchronise back onto the Exchange server.

As I say, it sounds a bit long winded, but in practice you're normally flitting from one pc to the next as you set each step running.

With free access to all the machines, two of us have normally managed to swap a typical 5 to 10 client pcs' over to a new (already configured) server in an afternoon.  With the morning spent getting the new server ready.

(And to be honest, it wouldn't take as long as that if people didn't persist in having one Gig and bigger Mailboxes!   )

[davew]

I did this earlier in the year using the swing migration method worked very well.

See here:

Swing Migration

Costs about £120 for the kit if i remember correctly.

Took half a day to implement and only 2 hrs downtime

[westy]

Another option is to shut down all services on the server and then take an image of it and restore it to the new hardware.

Drive Snapshot

We logically imaged 60+ servers between countries using the above tool a few months ago and it worked very well.  The images were live snapshots of the servers booted into Windows at the time.

[XTR2Turbo]

Thanks all. i think I will try the manual process.

David