Getting Started with the Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack

Use the information in this document to guide you through your migration from Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 to Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard Edition, and the standard versions of the server applications.

Note

Before you run the Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack Wizard, it is recommended that you order fulfillment media for the standard versions of the applications. The media is required for moving the applications to a new server and for system recovery only.

Note

You must also acquire the necessary client access licenses (CALs) for SQL Server after the migration. For information about purchasing the additional CALs, see the individual server product pages at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=16457).

Before You Begin

Use the information in the following sections to prepare your computer for the migration.

Note

Make note of any service packs you have installed on your operating system. You must reinstall them after the migration.

Prepare Disks

Use the following steps to prepare your disks for the migration.

To prepare your hard disks

  1. Prepare your hard disk by running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. To open Disk Cleanup, click Start, click Run, and then type Cleanmgr.exe. To open Disk Defragmenter, click Start, click Run, and then type Dfrg.msc.

  2. Ensure your hard disk has at least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of free space to complete Setup. This space is temporarily used by Setup and is available again once Setup is complete.

Prepare and Back Up Files

Use the following steps to back up files before the migration.

To prepare and back up your data

  1. The day or evening prior to beginning the migration, complete a virus scan of all drives and files.

  2. After completing the virus scan, complete and verify a full backup. Perform a full system backup including the System State data. For more information about backing up your server, click Start, and then click Help and Support.

  3. Verify that the backup ran successfully, and then test the integrity of the backup. To test the integrity of the backup, select random files from your backup, restore them to an alternate location, and then confirm that the files are the same.

Take the Server Offline

Use the following steps to prepare the server for the migration.

To take the server offline

  1. If you are beginning the migration while users are still working on the network, have users log off of the domain.

Note

It is recommended that you notify users that they will shortly need to log off and that they will lose their Internet connection. You can quickly notify all users by using the net send command. At the command prompt, type the following:Net send * You must log off from the domain in 5 minutes for server migration. During the migration the Internet will also be unavailable. Wait the specified amount of time, and then continue.

  1. You must disconnect your server from the Internet connection. For broadband connections, it is recommended that you disconnect the connection from the broadband device to your Internet service provider.

  2. Stop services for any third-party applications that are running on the server using the Local System account. If a third-party application is running using the Local System account, it may have a file lock on operating system files. This will prevent Setup from upgrading your operating system.

    To determine if an application is running as the Local System account, open Services (click Start, click Run, and type Services.msc) and check for third-party services that have Log On As set to Local System account. If third-party services are using the account, stop the service, and then set the Startup Type to Disabled.

  3. Turn off or disable any disk utilities that may be running, such as real-time antivirus monitoring software or backup software that use open file agents. Disk utilities can cause problems while running Setup.

Migrating Your Server

To migrate Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 to Windows Server 2003 R2, Standard Edition, and the standard versions of the server applications, you must run the Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack Wizard on the computer running Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2. Use the following steps to perform the migration.

Important

If the Backup Exec program is installed on the computer that is running Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, you may encounter an error that causes the Transition Pack to fail silently without finishing and that leaves the computer in an unusable state. To learn more about this problem and how to resolve it, see article 914990, "Installation of the Windows SBS 2003 Transition Pack may silently fail on a Windows SBS 2003-based computer," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69493).

To migrate your server

  1. Insert the Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Transition Pack CD into the drive and step through Setup. If Setup does not begin automatically, from the root of the Windows Small Business Server 2003 Transition Pack CD, double-click the shortcut to Setup.exe.

  2. Reinstall any service packs.

  3. Restart services for third-party applications that were stopped before the migration.

  4. Re-establish Internet connectivity.

  5. Go to Windows Update and review the available service packs and hotfixes to be sure that you have installed all the ones that you need.

Optional: Moving Applications to a New Server

After the migration, you can move the server applications off of the original server. You might choose to move one or more applications to a separate server to improve the performance of the application. For example, if you are going to add more than 75 users, moving Exchange Server to a different server can help that application to perform better with the new user load. As an option, you can install each of the server applications on a separate server and then migrate the data. If you want to move the server applications on a different server, use the following steps to complete the move.

To move applications to a new server

  1. If you are using a new server, install the operating system on the new server.

  2. Back up application configuration settings and data from the original server.

  3. For more information about backing up your server, click Start, click Help and Support, and then search for "back up and restore."

  4. Install the server applications that you choose to move on the new server and reinstall any service packs.

  5. Configure settings on the new server, and then migrate data from the original server to the new server.

  6. Verify that all applications and associated data are running properly on the new server.

  7. Remove from the original server the applications that you moved to the new server.