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  • Server Migration - Any ideas?

    I am looking to create a second unused box to become a backup for our server. It will have different hardware so ghosting is not an option though I do have a ghosted drive that I can hook in quickly if the original fails. I need to be able to migrate user settings, accounts, groups, etc . . . as well as have the machine appear as the domain server with no hiccups. Does anyone out there recommend some tools for this? Active Directory Migration tool requires both machines to be up and also that they be different domains so that is out of the question. "Ideal Administration" appears to do this but I cannot test this without forking out $380. Any ideas?

  • #2
    Dumb Question: why can't you just add a 2nd Domain Controller?
    FT.

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    • #3
      I was going to axe da same dumb question. I be guessing that we'z just a bunch 'o dummies.
      P.S. You've been Spanked!

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      • #4
        I reckon HJ's got his reasons...
        FT.

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        • #5
          It's more like HJ is the dummie figuratively speaking.

          Back when I got this job, I knew nothing about servers. I learn quickly. I actually read "Windows 2000 Server for dummies". My cousin and her husband own/run the place and I was given the job since they knew I am "good with computers". I have no formal training and our needs are actually very minor so usually I could just look anything up that I did not know. I do not have a lot of space in my office/"the server room" so leaving a second server running is not preferable though doing this and then disconnecting it could be something to try. Also, there is the 23.6 GB on the data drive which would have to be transferrred over or synchronized. Any tutorials to look up?

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          • #6
            So this is a Win2k Server running Active Directory?
            When you own your own business you only have to work half a day. You can do anything you want with the other twelve hours.

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            • #7
              Correct.
              2KSP4 with Active Directory

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              • #8
                One possible solutions, although I've never tried it, would be to setup the second server with the same name, ip address etc as the first. Once it's up and running backup the System State of the first one and then restore that to the second. That should take across all the AD stuff, registry, SYSVOL etc.
                When you own your own business you only have to work half a day. You can do anything you want with the other twelve hours.

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                • #9
                  That's something that I've thought of doing. It's time to experiment I guess. That should be no problem with the GHOSTed drive. Even if I was to trash the server I could recover in less than 10 minutes.

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                  • #10
                    You're really better off having the second server active if you can figure out somewhere to put it. That way you can have redundant domain controllers, and not worry about outages for authentication.

                    If you want to get really fancy, you can set up DFS (Distributed File System), and FRS (File Replication Service) to duplicate the data as well.

                    There's a ton of good info on technet.microsoft.com, if you've got some time to read...
                    Lady, people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard coated bastards with bastard filling. But I don't find them half as annoying as I find naive, bubble-headed optimists who walk around vomiting sunshine. -- Dr. Perry Cox

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Taz
                      One possible solutions, although I've never tried it, would be to setup the second server with the same name, ip address etc as the first. Once it's up and running backup the System State of the first one and then restore that to the second. That should take across all the AD stuff, registry, SYSVOL etc.
                      wouldn't that create some problems since the hardware is different?

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Kurt
                        wouldn't that create some problems since the hardware is different?
                        Yep
                        Lady, people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard coated bastards with bastard filling. But I don't find them half as annoying as I find naive, bubble-headed optimists who walk around vomiting sunshine. -- Dr. Perry Cox

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                        • #13
                          Depends on which parts of the registry you restore, if you miss out the hardware part, which is in a seperate file, it shouldn't be a problem. As I mentioned this is all just theory as I haven't tested it
                          When you own your own business you only have to work half a day. You can do anything you want with the other twelve hours.

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                          • #14
                            I had read an article on either MSDN or Technet about migrating from one server to another with different hardware. Alas I can't find it anymore

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                            • #15
                              I ended up creating a second domain controller and I am working on making everything redundant starting with DFS. Some questions.

                              Say two people try to access the same file and they both have write access to the file. Will one person get told that the file is read-only as if this was a regular network share or will both open the file on different servers. How do the servers know which file is correct if they both mades changes and saved?

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