How to Migrate System Center Essentials 2010 to a New Server

Applies To: System Center Essentials 2010

About System Center Essentials 2010 Migration

Use System Center Essentials 2010 Migration Advisor to back up Essentials database files, certificates, subscriptions, and virtual machine Library folders from the existing Essentials 2010 management server and then restore them on a new management server.

The Essentials 2010 Migration Advisor lets you migrate Essentials 2010 from 32-bit environments to 64-bit environments and plan disaster recovery. To migrate from one architecture to another, you must perform an in-place upgrade from Essentials 2007 (32-bit) to Essentials 2010 (32-bit), and then use Migration Advisor to migrate the data from the existing management server to an installation of Essentials 2010 (64-bit) on a new management server.

Essentials 2010 Migration Supported Scenarios

Supported Essentials 2010 Migration Scenarios

Migration Advisor is designed to back up and restore installations of Essentials 2010 that have the same features installed on both the existing and new management servers. To migrate Essentials 2010, the new management server must also have exactly the same fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as the current management server.

The following migration scenarios are supported:

• Migrating to a new management server that has a newer operating system installed than the operating system installed on the existing management server.

• Migrating from a management server with a 32-bit environment to a new management server with a 64-bit environment.

Unsupported Essentials 2010 Migration Scenarios

The following migration scenarios are blocked and are not supported:

• If additional features, such as Essentials Reporting or Virtualization Management, are installed on the existing management server, but not on the new management server, you have to install these features, and then use Migration Advisor to restore data on the new management server. After the data has been restored, you can uninstall these features on the new management server if they are not required.

• If Essentials Reporting or Virtualization Management is installed on the new management server, but not on the existing management server, you must uninstall these features from the new management server. After the data has been restored, you can reinstall the features on the new management server if they are required.

The following migration scenarios are not blocked, but are not supported:

• Migrating to a new management server that has an older operating system installed than the operating system installed on the existing management server.

• Migrating from a 64-bit environment to a 32-bit environment.

• Migrating from a management server that has an evaluation edition of Essentials 2010 installed.

• Migrating from a management server that has a different edition of Essentials 2010 installed than the edition installed on the new management server.

• Migrating from a management server with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition installed to a new management server with SQL Server 2008 Express Edition installed, or vice versa.

• Migrating from a management server that uses a local database to a new management server that uses a remote database, or vice versa.

• Migrating to or from management servers that use different operating system languages.

Preparing to Migrate to the New Management Server

Before you migrate Essentials 2010 to a new server, ensure you have performed the following tasks.

Verify System Requirements

Review System Requirements and Supported Platforms for System Center Essentials 2010 to ensure that the new server meets the minimum system requirements.

Migrate Virtual Machines to a New Host Server

The Essentials 2010 Migration Advisor does not let you back up virtual machines on the existing management server and restore them on a new management server. If the existing Essentials management server is currently designated as a host for virtual machines, you first have to designate another server in your environment as a host, and then migrate each virtual machine to the new host by using the Essentials console. After a new host server has been designated and the virtual machines have been migrated to the new host, you can remove the existing management server as a host.

For more information on how to designate a host, migrate virtual machines and remove a host server, see "Virtualizing Your Server Environment" in the System Center Essentials 2010 Operations Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180739).

If you created virtual machines on the existing Essentials management server by using Hyper-V instead of Essentials 2010, use Hyper-V to export the virtual machines and copy them to a different server.

Verify New Management Server FQDN

For the Migration Advisor to successfully migrate your data, you must join the new management server to the domain by using exactly the same fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as the existing Essentials 2010 management server. If you plan to keep using the existing management server in your environment for other purposes, you must first uninstall Essentials 2010, and then change the FQDN of that server, before you can give the same FQDN to the new management server.

Install Essentials 2010 on the New Management Server

Use the instructions in How to Install System Center Essentials 2010 on a Single Server to install Essentials 2010 on the new management server. For the Migration Advisor to restore your data on the new management server, you must use the same account information and install the same features that are installed on the existing management server. Therefore, if you do not have Virtualization or Reporting features installed on the existing management server, you should not install them on the new management server.

After Essentials 2010 installation is completed, do not run the Configure System Center Essentials Wizard. Migration Advisor configures your settings when you restore your data on the new Essentials management server.

Install Essentials 2010 Migration Toolkit

You must download the Essentials 2010 Migration Toolkit and install Migration Advisor on the existing management server to back up Essentials data, and you must install it again on the new management server when you are ready to restore the data.

To download and install Migration Advisor

1. Download the Essentials 2010 Migration Toolkit (SCE2010ResKit.msi) from Downloads for System Center Essentials in the System Center Essentials 2010 Download site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=193964).

2. Locate the folder where you saved the .msi package and double-click the package to install Migration Advisor. When installation is completed, open the folder where Essentials 2010 is installed (usually %ProgramFiles%\System Center Essentials) to run the program file MigrationAdvisor.exe.

Back Up Data from the Existing Essentials Management Server

We recommend that you use a network share to store backup files when migrating Essentials 2010 to a new server instead of on a local drive. While it is possible to store your backup files locally, this scenario requires twice as much hard disk space for restoring Essentials 2010 as storing backup files on a network share.

The network share name must be in the form of \\Servername\Sharename. The user who will run Migration Advisor must be granted Read and Write permissions for this share, and the SQL Server service (logged on with the Network Service user account) requires Read permissions for this share.

Using a Network Share for Essentials 2010 Backup

Because you do not have access to the existing Essentials management server during the restore phase of migration, we recommend that you use a network location with sufficient free space to store backup files. Use the following procedure to back up Essentials 2010 files to a network share.

To back up Essentials on a network share

1. Create a backup folder locally on the existing Essentials 2010 management server, for example, \Backup.

2. Enable sharing on the folder:

   1. Right-click the \Backup folder, and then click Properties.

   2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Sharing tab, and then click Share.

   3. Read and Write permissions to this folder will be automatically added for the current user. If another user performs the Essentials 2010 migration, assign Read and Write permissions for this share to the user who will perform the backup. You also have to ensure that the SQL Server service account (logged in with the Network Service user account) has Read permissions to this folder.

   4. Click Share, click Done, and then click Close to close the Properties dialog box.

3. Run MigrationAdvisor.exe (located in %ProgramFiles%\System Center Essentials) on the existing management server, and select the new \Backup folder you created as the storage location for Essentials backup files.

   1. On the Getting Started page, select Migrate Essentials 2010 to another server, and then click Next.

   2. On the Preparation page, click Browse to select the network share location for backup file storage.

      Important

      The network share name must be in the form of \Servername\Sharename and cannot be an administrative share or a mapped drive.

   3. Type a password in the Private Key Password box, and then click Begin.

      Important

      This password is required during the Restore phase on the new management server. Do not use quotation marks (") in the password that you create.

   4. On the Processing page, view the status of the backup tasks that Essentials 2010 processes.

   5. On the Completion page, review the status of the backup tasks that were performed, and then click Close.

4. Open the shared network folder you created to verify that the backup files have been saved.

Using a Local Drive for Essentials 2010 Backup

Use the following procedure to back up Essentials 2010 files to a local drive.

To back up Essentials on a local folder

1. Create a backup folder locally on the existing Essentials 2010 management server, for example, \Backup.

2. Ensure that the user who will perform the backup and save to this folder has Read and Write permissions for this folder.

3. Run MigrationAdvisor.exe (located in %ProgramFiles%\System Center Essentials) on the existing management server, and select the new Backup folder you created as the storage location for Essentials backup files.

   1. On the Getting Started page, select Migrate Essentials 2010 to another server, and then click Next.

   2. On the Preparation page, click Browse to select the folder location for backup file storage. Type a password in the Private Key Password box, and then click Begin.

      Important

      This password will be required during the restore phase on the new management server. Do not use quotation marks (") when you create the password.

   3. On the Processing page, view the status of the backup tasks that Essentials 2010 processes.

   4. On the Completion page, review the status of the backup tasks that were performed, and then click Close.

4. Open the folder you created on the local drive to verify that the backup files have been saved.

Restore Data to the New Essentials Management Server

Restoring Essentials from a network share

For a network share to work with the Network Service user account, Read-only permissions to the share must be assigned to Everyone because the Network Service account is local to the computer account. We recommend that you use domain accounts for the SQL Server service during the restore process if Everyone is not acceptable in your environment.

To restore Essentials from a network share

1. Assign Read permissions to the Network Service user account.

   1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Programs.

   2. In Microsoft SQL Server 2008, click Configuration Tools.

   3. Click SQL Server Configuration Manager.

   4. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, click SQL Server Services.

   5. In the Log On As column for the Essentials SQL Server service, check the user account name. If the SQL Server service is running as LocalSystem, the account cannot restore Essentials data from the network share. To restore Essentials data, the SQL Server service must run using the Network Service user account or domain user credentials.

   6. On the existing management server, right-click the backup folder name, and then click Properties.

   7. Click the Sharing tab, and then click Share.

   8. Click Change sharing permissions. If the SQL Server service is running with domain user credentials, type the name of the account in the box next to the Add button. If the SQL Server service is running with the Network Service account, type Everyone.

   9. Click Add. Accept the default Read permissions.

   10. Click the Share, click Done, and then click Close to close the Properties dialog box.

2. Run MigrationAdvisor.exe (located in %ProgramFiles%\System Center Essentials) on the new Essentials management server to restore Essentials.

   1. On the Getting Started page, select Restore Essentials 2010 from a complete Essentials backup, and then click Next.

   2. On the Preparation page, click Browse to select the backup share location.

      Important

      The network share name must be in the form of \Servername\Sharename and cannot be an administrative share or a mapped drive.

   3. Type the Private Key Password two times, and then click Begin.

   4. On the Processing page, view the status of the restore tasks that Essentials 2010 processes.

   5. On the Completion page, review the status of the restore tasks that were performed successfully, and then click Close.

Restoring Essentials from a local drive

To restore Essentials from a local folder

1. Assign Read permissions to the backup folder for the Network Service user account.

   1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Programs.

   2. In Microsoft SQL Server 2008, click Configuration Tools.

   3. Click SQL Server Configuration Manager.

   4. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, click SQL Server Services.

   5. In the Log On As column for the Essentials SQL Server service, check the user account name. If the SQL Server service is running as LocalSystem, the account will not be able to restore Essentials data from the local folder. To restore Essentials data, the SQL Server service must run using the Network Service account or domain user credentials.

   6. Right-click the local backup folder name and select Properties.

   7. Click the Sharing tab.

   8. Click the Share button.

   9. Click Change sharing permissions. If the SQL Server service is running with domain user credentials, type the name of the account in the text box next to the Add button. If the SQL Server service is running with the Network Service account, type Everyone.

   10. Click Add. Accept the default Read permissions.

   11. Click Share, click Done, and then click Close to close the Properties dialog box.

2. Run MigrationAdvisor.exe (located in %ProgramFiles%\System Center Essentials) on the new Essentials management server to restore Essentials.

   1. On the Getting Started page, select Restore Essentials 2010 from a complete Essentials backup, and then click Next.

   2. On the Preparation page, click Browse to select the backup location.

   3. Type the Private Key Password two times, and then click Begin.

   4. On the Processing page, view the status of the restore tasks that Essentials 2010 is processing.

   5. On the Completion page, review the status of the restore tasks that were performed successfully, and then click Close.

See Also

Other Resources

Install System Center Essentials 2010