The upgrade from 2003 to 2008 SBS is not an upgrade, but a migration. It will not be simple. It is many steps and will take many hours and mostly likely several days.
Note: If you have considered a platform change, this is a good time to consider it. The time to upgrade from MS 2003 SBS to MS 2008 SBS is more than to install a new MS 2008 SBS, and new open-source Postfix and Apache (LAMP) solution, more than a Notes install. If you are going to convert from SBS to say open-source or IBM Notes on open-source, this makes a good time and may save you money in the long run. (See the Mindwatering cost analysis between Notes and Exchange in by searching the support database.)
These are notes we've taken with links on tasks for the upgrade.
0. Be "root" to use a Linux term.
Make sure you do all these steps with the login that is the AD "god". Otherwise, steps will fail or you could do harm and worst case have do a complete server reinstall. You have back-up anyway, right?
1. Check event log for serious issues with either SQL databases or the AD environment.
- Fix serious errors -- especially the AD ones. The existing AD will be migrated to the new server. Do yourself a favor if you still have old NT and 2000 domain servers around. Demote them now and make sure your AD domain controller(s) is a 2003 Server box. Otherwise, you cannot do the upgrade w/o a lot of extra steps and places to get stuck.
- Verify time on the 2003 Domain Controller(s) is correct. If not set it to the host if a VM, or to a NTP server time sync will be very important as the migration of AD and Exchange is performed.
>> 0.25 - 1.5 hours
2a. "Optimize the Exchange Server Mailboxes"
This is not really an admin task, but code for tell your users to clean up and archive.
- Instruct your users to empty their trash. Then instruct them to "Empty "Deleted Items" Folder".
- Instruct your users to archive any mail desired to their local .PST archive. They should mark and archive:
Under menu, choose File --> Archive. In the dialog, click "Archive items older than ..." and choose date --> click "Archive all folders according to the AutoArchive settings".
>> 0 - 20 hours (depending users that have issues with deleting or archiving or attempting to force them to do so.)
2b. Install any missing service packs.
Otherwise, the migration WILL fail if you've only been applying the security ones individually. Some of this fix-pack time will mean you are briefly down during these upgrades and reboots.
>> 0 - 8 hours
3. Upgrade the AD "Forest".
- 3a. "Raise the Domain Functional Level"
This is common when the current server was the start of a 2003 SBS originally because of then existing NT or 2000 servers and clients.
To check/fix:
- Start --> Admin. Tools --> Active Directory Domains & Trust
- Right-click "Active Directory Domains and Trusts" --> click "Raise Forest Functional level".
- If the "Current forest functional level" says, "Windows Server 2003", then you are done 3a.
- If the "Current forest functional level" doesn't say, "Windows Server 2003", then in the "Select an available forest function level" area --> click the "Windows Server 2003" option --> click "Raise" --> click "OK" to the warning for the old domain software members (e.g. NT / 2000).
>> 0.25 - 0.5 hours
- 3b. Upgrade the Forest.
- 3b1. Run dcdiag.exe to confirm state of domain controller(s) in the forest.
>> 0 - 0.5 hours
- 3b2. If you have more than one domain controller, run netdiag.exe and repadmin.exe to validate the networking and the domain replication between the controllers.
>> 0 - 0.5 hours
- 3b3. If you have terminal logins to the AD controller during this process it seems to get really unhappy and says the upgrade cannot be performed. If this is a danger, then schedule an "outage" and pull the ethernet cord (or disconnect the virtual network card if in a VM). Then do this via console. This is also potentially dangerous, so you have a backup of the full domain controller, yes?
>> 0 hours
(for you, it puts your users with an outage from here until end of 3b5b below if you pulled the ethernet.)
- 3b4. Exchange must be in Native mode first, so if your not, stop and follow this tech link and tanget: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=104943.
>> 0 - 0.25 hours
- 3b5. Upgrade the forest using Adprep.exe. This "upgrade" primarily gives you 21 to complete the migration and temporary have the two domain controller(s) during the AD migration.
- 3b5a. Verify your roles are correct:
Start --> Server Management --> In nav pane, Users --> Right click your admin account your using and click properties --> Click Member Of tab --> Verify your admin id has the roles: Enterprise Admins, Schema Admins, Domain Admins. --> Add any if not listed or switch to a real AD "god" account.
>> 0.25 hours
- 3b5b. Run the Adprep tool on the 2008 Server Install DVD1:
Insert the install DVD in the CURRENT 2003 SERVER --> In the opening Wizard screen, click Tools --> Double-click SourceTool --> click I have a backup in the tool's window, as you do, yes? --> click Next -->click Create an Answer File blue link (Yes, it's not intuitive, I missed it my first time through and wondered where. After a Google search, I was comforted to see was not alone and lots of us will miss it.) --> Complete the form (see note below) --> Save form using Save As --> click Cancel to leave form --> Click Finish.
<<<< HOLD >>>>
You are likely to fail once or twice about here.
1. You may not have .Net Framework 2.x installed. An earlier one won't do. Accept the failure message and download the framework and install it. Then start 3b5b over.
2. You may get weird general error message that states "You cannot install some updates or programs", follow this link (http://go.microsoft.com/FWLink/?LinkID=118672) and then start 3b5b over.
3. The (Migration) Answer File. This is not what it sounds like, this is not a silent install record setting where we then run this on 100 additional servers, this is key/the answers for the 2008 side. If you forget this or lose it, then start 3b5b over and remember to click the option. Yes, you don't create one by default. Oh, once you do click this link, you have to actually manually fill out the answers - no it doesn't auto-complete the information for the file from the current Domain. There are a bunch of Gotchas:
a. Make sure you change the default from "New" to "Migration".
b. Make sure the domain is the domain suffix - e.g. just local or mw.local.
c. Make sure that you have the old and new names right and that the names are just the machine names, and not the FQDNs.
d. Also, unless you turn two defaults off, you will auto-sign up for 2 trials for Windows Live OneCare and Forefront Security for Exchange.)
e. Read each field several times and ask for a peer-review from your consultant.
Use this page for guidelines and it's easy to miss-interpret the fields and field help: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527566.aspx
Note: Now that you've started, you have 21 days where you are allowed "duplicate licensing" to temporarily run both your SBS 2003 and SBS 2006. Good luck!
<<<< ----------- >>>>
>> 0.5 - 2.0 hours
(We were lucky to have our client admin login twice during this stage to see how we were doing a couple times and got an error from Adprep and had to start over. We pull the ethernet cord now and inserted step 3b3 above. Having also missed the little blue text was a link to click, I thought it had auto created the xml file using the current server's information. )
3. Put the Answer File, SBSAnswerFile.xml on the new server.
In order for the 2008 Install to work in migration mode, it must detect the answer file. We saved it to a floppy / USB stick and stuck it in right after the new server is started. (We moved the CDROM to the top boot order. We stuck the answer file in as soon as we saw the Windows setup start screen run off the CD.)
4. Install the New SBS 2008 Server.
Make sure you have at least:
- 4 GB of RAM
- 60 GB of drive space
- 64-bit processor 2.5 GHz or 2 processors if slower.
(There is a test CD you can stick into the CDROM and boot from that will tell you. We normally use it for our VMs, but it validates a SBS on iron okay, too.)
4a. Put the DVD in the DVD/CD player.
>> 0 hours
4b. Stick in the USB Stick or floppy containing the migration file.
>> 0 hours
4c. Start the server
Did it boot from the DVD/CDROM drive or fail and boot the stick?
>> 0 hours
4d. Get the Install/Migration Going...
Accept the license and enter they new key. Uncheck the activate, as a good number of our Windows installs have issues. We want to activate only when we are REALLY sure that the install is good. Unlocking a key with Microsoft is generally doable, but having to do the whole phone thing and spend the 2-4 hours with Microsoft Licensing folks isn't high on my fun list.
>> 2 - 5 mins.
4e. Wait for the Copy of Files ...
>> 5 - 15 mins.
4f. Wait for the Expanding of Files ...
>> 0.5 - 2 hours.
4g. Wait to install the updates ...
We generally don't like to mix troubleshooting install w/an update, so we do updates afterwards when we have a successful install.
>> 0 - 1.5 hours.
4h. Completing the Installation ...
This is where you find out if it gives you a new "wizard" form to fill out or uses the one you loaded. So did it find your file?
If not, Google already has results with people trying floppies, USB sticks, CDROM with the one file in the 2nd CDROM. What I can tell you is that it may not find it the first time by USB stick even though it can see it. You can try changing the "Legacy settings" USB field value in your BIOS as that may help. Your new server toys have a floppy? Ours didn't. So have fun getting that file read in when during the install, you can see it will load a custom driver from that same USB stick!!! Don't worry. Keep banging your head into the night, eventually you might find out this time it found the it, nothing was different. It just worked.
BTW, it took a little digging, but apparently, the file is found/read after the full install before the SBS install/setup.
>> 0.5 hours - infinity-and-beyond
(Depending on how well you completed your "wizard" form, and the big one -- if the server sees the xml migration file. )
5. Start the Migration ...
If it worked and you didn't choose the silent option, then after the reboot, you will see a migration window.
Click both check marks that you've done a backup and read the latest migration docs and click Next.
Validate the data it pulled from your migration file, and step through the screens.
If you login with your administrator account from the 2003 server (domain), your answer file was found and used.
If not, return and repeat steps 3 and 4 until you get it.
To get the settings and Exchange moved over, in the Windows SBS Console --> Task Pad --> Migrate the server task --> click the "Migrate to Windows SBS" option.
At this point, your migration is underway ...
... you may be waiting on your AD to finish its replicate/sync.
After answering all the network setup and related questions for the new 2008 SBS server you should relatively quickly find yourself at the Outlook migration stage where you will sit until you last user is migrated:
Your web/SharePoint sites should migrate, but the "custom applications" may not.
Your shared folder data on the server SHOULD replicate. If any lists are missing, manually copy them. (You can also re-queue, see below.)
Custom databases and .Net applications are likely to not make it over and have to be migrated.
Other Comments / Issues:
- Even w/64 bit, 4 - 8 times the memory, and 4 times the hard-drive space as SBS 2003, the user limit is hard-set at 75 users. If you have SBS Premium, and you opt to have SQL with the Exchange, then you definitely might not make it with a fast single processor even with 8 GB. Choose a server with 4 cores, and at least 16 GB, you should scale to at least 40-50 even with SQL if the load is still pretty light.
- As of Feb/2009, backup on 2008 is broken to a remote NAS. Is your client okay with no backups until a fix comes out if they don't backup to local tape? At least you have the old 2003 SBS server backup you can restore, right?
- How to repeat the migration - move the c:\program files\Windows Small Business Server\Data\MigrationTasks.xml file to someplace out of the $Path. When the Migration Wizard runs, all tasks will be "Not started".
- How to repeat the last step - open the file instead and edit the appropriate line's State value from "Completed" back to "ToDo". When the Migration Wizard runs again, the previous step can be tried again.
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