Windows Server Migration Tools Installation, Access, and Removal

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server Migration Tools Installation, Access, and Removal describes how to locate, install, use, and remove Windows Server Migration Tools. Administrators can use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to computers that are running Windows Server® 2008 R2.

In this guide

  • Supported operating systems

  • Permission requirements

  • Preparing for installation

  • Installing Windows Server Migration Tools

  • Using Windows Server Migration Tools

  • Removing Windows Server Migration Tools

Supported operating systems

The following table indicates the Windows Server operating systems that Windows Server Migration Tools supports.

Source server processor Source server operating system Destination server operating system Destination server processor

x86- or x64-based

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2

Windows Server 2008 R2, both full and Server Core installation options

x64-based

x86- or x64-based

Windows Server 2003 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2, both full and Server Core installation options

x64-based

x86- or x64-based

Windows Server 2008, full installation option

Windows Server 2008 R2, both full and Server Core installation options

x64-based

x64-based

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2, both full and Server Core installation options

x64-based

x64-based

Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2, both full and Server Core installation options

x64-based

The versions of operating systems shown in the previous table are the oldest combinations of operating systems and service packs that are supported. If available, newer service packs are supported.

The following editions of Windows Server are supported as either source or destination servers:

  • Windows Server Foundation

  • Windows Server Standard

  • Windows Server Enterprise

  • Windows Server Datacenter

Migrations between physical operating systems and virtual operating systems are supported.

Migration from a source server to a destination server that is running an operating system in a different system UI language (that is, the installed language) than the source server is not supported. For example, you cannot use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate roles, operating system settings, data, or shares from a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 in the French system UI language to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 in the German system UI language.

Note

The system UI language is the language of the localized installation package that was used to set up the Windows operating system.

Both x86- and x64-based migrations are supported for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. All editions of Windows Server 2008 R2 are x64-based.

Roles that are running on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 cannot be migrated, because the Microsoft .NET Framework is not available in the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008.

Permission requirements

At minimum, you must be a member of the Administrators group on both source and destination servers to install, remove, or set up Windows Server Migration Tools.

Preparing for installation

Follow the steps in this section if you are registering Windows Server Migration Tools on computers that are running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008. Otherwise, see Installing Windows Server Migration Tools.

Note

All commands in this guide are case-insensitive unless specifically noted.

Windows Server 2008 source server

Complete the following tasks to prepare a source server that is running Windows Server 2008 for Windows Server Migration Tools.

  • Verify that the source server has sufficient disk space (at least 23 MB) to store the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder.

  • Install Windows PowerShell by using Server Manager or by running the Server Manager command prompt tool, ServerManagerCmd.exe. If your source server is running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2, see Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 for more information about how to install Windows Server Migration Tools on the source server. For more information about how to add features to the server by using Server Manager, see Adding Server Roles and Features in the Server Manager Help (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=133158).

Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2 source server

Complete the following tasks to prepare a source server that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 R2 for Windows Server Migration Tools.

Note

Windows PowerShell 2.0 is available in a graphically-oriented version. For more information about Graphical Windows PowerShell, see Graphical Windows PowerShell (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=133161).

Other computers in your enterprise

Because you might have to restart the server after you install Windows Server Migration Tools, notify users in advance that they might experience downtime while the server operating system loads. To minimize downtime, and reduce its effect on users in your enterprise, install Windows Server Migration Tools during off-peak hours.

Installing Windows Server Migration Tools

This section describes how to install Windows Server Migration Tools on both source and destination servers. If both source and destination computers are running Windows Server 2008 R2, install Windows Server Migration Tools on both computers by following installation steps in either Full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 or Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2.

If you plan to migrate roles, features, or other data from computers that are running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003, you must complete two additional tasks after you install Windows Server Migration Tools on destination servers.

  1. Create a Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information, see Creating a deployment folder on destination computers.

  2. Register Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers that are running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003. For more information, see Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers.

For more detailed information, see Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 source computers.

Full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

You can install Windows Server Migration Tools by using the Windows PowerShell cmdlet Add-WindowsFeature for Server Manager.

To install Windows Server Migration Tools on a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. Open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Windows PowerShell, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. Load the Server Manager module into your Windows PowerShell session. To load the Server Manager module, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Import-Module ServerManager
    
  3. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-WindowsFeature Migration
    

Note

You can also install Windows Server Migration Tools on a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 by using the Server Manager console. For more information about how to use the Server Manager console, see Adding Server Roles and Features in the Server Manager Help on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=134104).

  1. To migrate Hyper-V or Routing and Remote Access Services to Windows Server 2008 R2, you must also do the following:

    1. Download the Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities package on the local computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. The download package is available on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=178389).

    2. In the Windows PowerShell session opened in step 1, install Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities by typing the following command, in which Path represents the fully-qualified path to the package, and then press Enter.

      <Path>\Windows6.1-KB977336-v2-x64.msu
      
    3. Follow the instructions in the Installation Wizard to complete installation.

    4. Restart the computer after the installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities is finished.

Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Install Windows PowerShell, and then Windows PowerShell cmdlets for Server Manager in the Windows PowerShell session that you use to install Windows Server Migration Tools. By default, Windows PowerShell is not installed on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2.

To install Windows Server Migration Tools on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. The oclist command displays a list of the roles and features that are available in the Server Core installation option, the role and feature command IDs, and roles or features that are installed. At a command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter.

    oclist
    

Note

By default, a command prompt on computers that are running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 already runs with elevated user rights. You do not have to start the command prompt with elevated user rights in the Server Core environment.

  1. Look for the following programs in the displayed results of the oclist command. If all three are in the list of installed programs, skip the next step. If any of them are missing, go on to the next step.

    • NetFx2-ServerCore

    • MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell

    • ServerManager-PSH-Cmdlets

  2. Type one of the following, and then press Enter.

    start /w ocsetup NetFx2-ServerCore;MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell;ServerManager-PSH-Cmdlets
    
    Pkgmgr /iu:NetFx2-ServerCore;MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell;ServerManager-PSH-Cmdlets
    
  3. Do one of the following.

    • To install Windows Server Migration Tools by using the ocsetup or pkgmgr commands, at the command prompt, type one of the following, and then press Enter. You have completed the procedure and do not have to perform the remaining steps.

      • start /w ocsetup ServerMigration
        
      • pkgmgr /iu:ServerMigration
        
    • To install Windows Server Migration Tools by using Windows PowerShell, go on to the next step.

  4. Open a Windows PowerShell session by typing the following in the current command prompt session, and then press Enter.

    %windir%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
    
  5. Load the Server Manager snap-in into your Windows PowerShell session. To load the Server Manager snap-in, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Import-Module ServerManager
    
  6. Install Windows Server Migration Tools by using the Windows PowerShell Add-WindowsFeature cmdlet for Server Manager. In the Windows PowerShell session, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-WindowsFeature Migration
    
  7. To migrate Hyper-V or Routing and Remote Access Services to Windows Server 2008 R2, you must also do the following:

    1. Download the Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities package on the local computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. The download package is available on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=178389).

    2. In the Windows PowerShell session opened in step 5, install Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities by typing the following command, in which Path represents the fully-qualified path to the package, and then press Enter.

      <Path>\Windows6.1-KB977336-v2-x64.msu
      
    3. Follow the instructions in the Installation Wizard to complete installation.

    4. Restart the computer after the installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities is finished.

Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 source computers

Complete the following two tasks to install Windows Server Migration Tools.

  1. Create deployment folders for source computers by using the smigdeploy.exe tool that is included with Windows Server Migration Tools on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information, see Creating a deployment folder on destination computers.

  2. Register Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers that are running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 by using SmigDeploy.exe. For more information, see Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers.

Creating a deployment folder on destination computers

Create the deployment folder on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2, and on which Windows Server Migration Tools already is installed. After you create the deployment folder, copy it to the local drive of a migration source computer that is running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003.

To create a deployment folder on destination computers

  1. If you have not already installed Windows Server Migration Tools on the destination server, see Installing Windows Server Migration Tools in this topic.

  2. Open a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. To open an elevated Command Prompt window, click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  3. At the command prompt, change to the directory in which the smigdeploy.exe tool is stored. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    cd %Windir%\System32\ServerMigrationTools\
    
  4. Do one of the following to create a Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder.

    • To create a folder to copy to an AMD64 source computer that is running Windows Server 2008, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.

      SmigDeploy.exe /package /architecture amd64 /os WS08 /path <deployment folder path>
      
    • To create a folder to copy to an AMD64 source computer that is running Windows Server 2003, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.

      SmigDeploy.exe /package /architecture amd64 /os WS03 /path <deployment folder path>
      
    • To create a folder to copy to an x86 source computer that is running Windows Server 2008, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.

      SmigDeploy.exe /package /architecture X86 /os WS08 /path <deployment folder path>
      
    • To create a folder to copy to an x86 source computer that is running Windows Server 2003, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.

      SmigDeploy.exe /package /architecture X86 /os WS03 /path <deployment folder path>
      

Note

Each of these commands creates a deployment folder named in the format SMT_<Operating System>_<Architecture> and stores it in the specified deployment folder path.

You can also specify a network path as the path for the deployment folder. Verify that you have access to the network path before you create the deployment folder.

For more information about SmigDeploy.exe, at a command prompt, type SmigDeploy.exe /?, and then press Enter.

Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers

Before you can use a technology’s Windows PowerShell snap-in for the first time, it must be registered with Windows PowerShell. You can use SmigDeploy.exe to register the Windows Server Migration Tools snap-in on a migration source computer that is running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003.

Before you start the procedure in this section, verify the following.

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is installed on computers that are running Windows Server 2003.

  • Windows PowerShell 1.0 or a later version is installed on computers that are running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003.

To register Windows Server Migration Tools

  1. Copy the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder that was created by using the procedure in Creating a deployment folder on destination computers to a local drive on the source computer that is running either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003. Make sure that the operating system architecture of the deployment folder matches those of the source computer to which you are copying the folder.

    For example, the SMT_WS08_amd64 folder should only be copied to the local drive of an AMD64 source computer that is running Windows Server 2008.

  2. On the source computer, open a Command Prompt window.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2003, you do not have to run a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2008, you must open a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  3. At the command prompt, change to the directory to which you copied the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder in step 1.

Note

You can register and run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets from a removable drive, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM. However, to increase the reliability of registering the cmdlets, we recommend that you copy the deployment folder to a local drive of the source computer. You cannot register or run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets from a network location.

  1. In the deployment folder directory, type the following command to register Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets, and then press Enter.

    .\Smigdeploy.exe
    

Note

When registration is complete, a status message is displayed that indicates that the registration completed successfully, and a Windows PowerShell session opens. You can run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets in this Windows PowerShell session. If you close the Windows PowerShell session, see Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 source computers for information about how to access and use Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets.

Using Windows Server Migration Tools

This section describes how to run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets.

  • Full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

  • Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

  • Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 source computers

Full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Start Windows PowerShell and run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets by using any of the following procedures. These can apply to either source or destination servers.

To run Windows Server Migration Tools from the Start menu

  • To open a Windows Server Migration Tools custom Windows PowerShell session, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, open the Windows Server Migration Tools folder, right-click Windows Server Migration Tools, and then click Run as administrator.

To run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets in a new Windows PowerShell session

  1. Open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Windows PowerShell, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. Load Windows Server Migration Tools into your Windows PowerShell session. To load Windows Server Migration Tools, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Migration
    

To run Windows Server Migration Tools from a Command Prompt window

  1. Open Command Prompt with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. At the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter.

    powershell.exe -PSConsoleFile %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerMigrationTools\ServerMigration.psc1
    

Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Start Windows PowerShell and use Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets by using any of the following procedures.

To open Windows PowerShell together with Windows Server Migration Tools

  • At a command prompt on a computer that is running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2, type the following, and then press Enter.

    powershell.exe -PSConsoleFile %SystemRoot%\system32\ServerMigrationTools\ServerMigration.psc1
    

To open Windows PowerShell and load Windows Server Migration Tools separately

  1. At a command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter.

    powershell
    
  2. Load Windows Server Migration Tools into the Windows PowerShell session. To load Windows Server Migration Tools, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Migration
    

Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 source computers

If you close the Windows PowerShell session that is opened automatically when the SmigDeploy.exe finishes registering the Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets, you can run Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets by using any of the following procedures.

To open Windows Server Migration Tools from the Start menu

  • Do one of the following:

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2003, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, open the Windows Server Migration Tools folder, and then click Windows Server Migration Tools.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2008, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, open the Windows Server Migration Tools folder, right-click Windows Server Migration Tools, and then click Run as administrator.

To open Windows PowerShell and load Windows Server Migration Tools separately

  1. Do one of the following:

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2003, open a Windows PowerShell session by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, opening the Windows PowerShell folder, and clicking the Windows PowerShell shortcut.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2008, open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, open the Windows PowerShell folder, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. In the Windows PowerShell session, type the following to load the Windows Server Migration Tools snap-in, and then press Enter.

    Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Migration
    

To open Windows PowerShell together with Windows Server Migration Tools from a Command Prompt window

  1. Do one of the following.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2003, open a Command Prompt window by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing cmd, and then pressing Enter.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2008, open a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click the Command Prompt shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. At the command prompt, change directories to the location of the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder.

  3. In the deployment directory, type the following to open a Windows PowerShell session with preloaded Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets, and then press Enter.

    Powershell.exe -PSConsoleFile ServerMigration.psc1
    

Additional resources and next steps for using Windows Server Migration Tools

For more information about Windows Server Migration Tools and Windows PowerShell, see the following resources.

  • For detailed, step-by-step information about how to migrate specific roles or data, see the Windows Server Migration Portal on the Windows Server 2008 R2 TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128554).

  • In a Windows PowerShell session, type the following, and then press Enter to view detailed information about how to use a specific cmdlet.

    Get-Help <cmdlet_name> -full
    
  • To open Windows Server Migration Tools Help, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, click Windows Server Migration Tools, and then click Windows Server Migration Tools Help. This is not available on the Server Core installation option.

  • See the Windows PowerShell page on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=122931).

Removing Windows Server Migration Tools

Follow the procedures in this section to remove Windows Server Migration Tools from computers.

Full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Remove Windows Server Migration Tools by using the following procedure.

To remove Windows Server Migration Tools by using Windows PowerShell

  1. Open a Windows PowerShell session with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click Windows PowerShell, right-click the Windows PowerShell shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. If you installed Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities for migrating Hyper-V or Routing and Remote Access Services, type the following, and then press Enter to remove the Migration Utilities package. Otherwise, go on to the next step.

    wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:977336
    
  3. Load the Server Manager snap-in into your Windows PowerShell session. To load the Server Manager snap-in, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Import-Module ServerManager
    
  4. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Remove-WindowsFeature Migration
    

Note

You can also remove Windows Server Migration Tools from a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 by using the Server Manager console. For more information about how to use the Server Manager console, see Removing Server Roles and Features in the Server Manager Help on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=134107).

Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2

Remove Windows Server Migration Tools by using the following procedure.

To remove Windows Server Migration Tools from Server Core

  1. At a command prompt on a computer that is running the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2, type the following, and then press Enter.

    powershell
    
  2. If you installed Windows Server 2008 R2 Migration Utilities for migrating Hyper-V or Routing and Remote Access Services, type the following, and then press Enter to remove the Migration Utilities package. Otherwise, go on to the next step.

    wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:977336 /quiet
    
  3. Load the Server Manager module into your Windows PowerShell session. To load the Server Manager module, type the following, and then press Enter.

    Import-Module ServerManager
    
  4. Type the following, and then press Enter.

    Remove-WindowsFeature Migration
    

Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 source computers

To remove Windows Server Migration Tools, you must first reverse the registration of Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets, and then remove the deployment folder.

To remove Windows Server Migration Tools from Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008

  1. Do one of the following.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2003, open a Command Prompt window by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing cmd, and then pressing Enter.

    • On computers that are running Windows Server 2008, open a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. To do this, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. At a command prompt, change directories to the location of the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder.

  3. Type the following to reverse the registration of Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets, and then press Enter.

    SmigDeploy.exe /unregister
    
  4. When SmigDeploy.exe has finished, delete the Windows Server Migration Tools deployment folder and its contents.