Backing up server and then restoring on new hardware?

KernelXP

Hey guys, we’ve just purchased a brand new file server, we want to transfer the system state (which includes AD) and all the files from the old server to the new one.

Will I have to manually set up DNS and Active Directory? Or can I just run a complete restore and it will do it all for me, also will it restore all the permissions that have been assigned to individual file and folders?

tia

Ricka182

Okay, so this may be the long way of doing it, but I think this would work.....

Add to the network, and build a BDC with your new server. Then, DCPROMO down the old server. During the DCPROMO down, tell it that this was the first server in the site. This should move the FSMO roles from this machine to the new server that you have on the network, which will then become the 'main' DC.

Now, you have your AD domain with the server that you want as your PDC. Your old machine is a BDC now and is in the domain so you shouldn't have any issues migrating data to another machine or simply allowing users to access it until you are ready to blow it away.

This method is kind of long, but it makes sure that you don't have any weird migration issues, and most importantly imposes almost no downtime on your users.

ajs1976

KernelXP wrote:

Hey guys, we’ve just purchased a brand new file server, we want to transfer the system state (which includes AD) and all the files from the old server to the new one.

Will I have to manually set up DNS and Active Directory? Or can I just run a complete restore and it will do it all for me, also will it restore all the permissions that have been assigned to individual file and folders?

tia

Does the new server have almost exactly the same hardware as the old server? If not get ready for a head ache.

the restored server may through a fit (if it boots at all) when the restored OS wakes up on radically different hardware.

ajs1976

Ricka182 wrote:

Okay, so this may be the long way of doing it, but I think this would work.....

Add to the network, and build a BDC with your new server. Then, DCPROMO down the old server. During the DCPROMO down, tell it that this was the first server in the site. This should move the FSMO roles from this machine to the new server that you have on the network, which will then become the 'main' DC.

Now, you have your AD domain with the server that you want as your PDC. Your old machine is a BDC now and is in the domain so you shouldn't have any issues migrating data to another machine or simply allowing users to access it until you are ready to blow it away.

This method is kind of long, but it makes sure that you don't have any weird migration issues, and most importantly imposes almost no downtime on your users.

This is the way you want to go. although Ricka182 referring to BDCs and PDCs on a Windows AD network kind of confused me. (BDC and PDC are NT 4.0 terms. Once you DCPROMO down a server it is no longer a Domain Controller.)

The only change I would recommend is to transfer the FSMO roles and make sure everything is working OK, before dcpromoing down the original box. Make sure to give the replication between the new and server plenty of time before demoting the old server (I was burned once because of my lack of patience).

Drakonblayde

Yep, when I redid my AD domain onto a new server, I screwed up the transfer and had to start over. Wasn't that big of a deal since it was just my home network, biggest pain was getting NTFS permissions on the boxes changes over to the new SID's, but in a real life situation I'd have been in deep trouble

KernelXP

Well this sounds like it's going to be a massive job, I'll have to do a few test runs using VMWare, thanks for your help guys.

sab4you

I would also doubt it works, but I am going to say try it at least.

Restore everything over and then boot up the computer (unplugged from the network). If it boots up fine and you can access everthing AD just dandy, then you got lucky and saved hours of time. If it doesnt work, then your back to square one and only wasted 15 minutes.

There is also a registry entry that removes all devices from your windows - so next boot it finds things and installs drivers all over again. If your restore on new hardware doesnt work AND you can boot into safe mode, then I would do some internet searching for this reg key. I know the old version of RegCleaner from www.jv16.org had this feature - but they no longer make regcleaner and make a new product which I dont know if it does/doesnt offer this.

KernelXP

Hey Guys,

Ok I've set up an additional domain controller and all the users have been copied over, now the tricky part, how do I transfer all the files and folders including permissions over to the new server?

Webmaster

Using NTbackup or another backup utility that supports NTFS permissions.

KernelXP

It's that easy? Wow, I thought it would have been a lot harder than that, thanks Webmaster.

RussS

It's that easy

Ricka182

Yes, amazingly, M$ does make some things easy.

RussS

Yes, amazingly, M$ does make some things easy.

Actually there are lots of things they make very easy - unfortunately we tend to muck around and take the more difficult option many times

Drakonblayde

Oh, I just remembered something else that I wanted to add to this thread and forgot the first time around....

The main reason I got screwed on transferring my DC was because I had set it up as an enterprise certificate authority (yay me for following the MS press books during MCSA study...). Now that has the effect of making sure you can't rename your computer, and it apparently means you can't demote your DC. Had I been able to demote my original DC, I would have been fine and it would have transferred the FMSO roles over automatically, but as it was, I ended up screwing up the manual transfer of the FMSO roles.

Moral of the story: I will never ever install a CA on a domain controller again

stallion750

Could you have just used drive image, then install the copied drive into the new case, then run repair. I believe this would have worked.