BranchCache Migration: Preparing to Migrate

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Complete the following procedures before you migrate a BranchCache-dedicated server from a source computer to an x64-based Windows Server® 2008 R2 server.

In this guide

  1. Install migration tools

  2. Prepare your destination server

  3. Back up your source server

  4. Prepare your source server

Install migration tools

Install Windows Server Migration Tools on destination and source servers. For more information, see Windows Server Migration Tools Installation, Access and Removal (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=134763).

Important

Before you run the Import-SmigServerSetting, Export-SmigServerSetting, or Get-SmigServerFeature cmdlets, verify that during migration, both source and destination servers can contact the domain controller that is associated with domain users or groups who are members of local groups on the source server.
Before you run the Send-SmigServerData or Receive-SmigServerData cmdlets, verify that during migration, both source and destination servers can contact the domain controller that is associated with those domain users who have rights to files or shares that are being migrated.

Working with Windows PowerShell cmdlets

Cmdlets (pronounced command-lets) are built-in commands included with Windows PowerShell, installed by default as part of Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information about Windows PowerShell and how cmdlets work, see Windows PowerShell on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=122931).

Except where specifically noted, Windows PowerShell cmdlets are not case-sensitive. Add the –Verbose parameter to a Windows PowerShell cmdlet to have detailed information about the operation displayed in the Windows PowerShell session.

Although most commands for BranchCache server migration are Windows PowerShell cmdlets, you can run executable files in a Windows PowerShell session by adding an ampersand (&) before the executable file name. The ampersand is the call operator in Windows PowerShell.

If the executable file is not in the current directory, add the fully-qualified path name, as shown in the following examples. If an executable file name contains spaces, enclose the file name in quotation marks. If you are running the executable file from the current directory, precede the file name with .\.

  • Executable file that is not in the current directory: PS C:\> & C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe

  • Executable file that is in the current directory: PS C:\Windows\System32> & .\notepad.exe

  • Executable file name that contains a space and is in the current directory: PS C:\Windows\System32> & ".\executable test.exe"

You can obtain detailed Help about specific syntax, parameters, and usage guidelines for any installed Windows PowerShell cmdlet by running the following command in a Windows PowerShell session, in which cmdlet name represents the name of the cmdlet for which you want help.

Get-Help <cmdlet name> -full

You can run Command Prompt commands in a Windows PowerShell session by adding cmd /C before the command, as shown in the following example. The example shows the dir command in Windows PowerShell.

cmd /C dir c:\*

After the command is performed and results are displayed, you can continue to work in the same session with Windows PowerShell cmdlets.

Prepare your destination server

Complete the following procedure to prepare the destination server for the migration of BranchCache.

Hardware requirements for the destination server

The disk space required on the destination server to migrate BranchCache depends on the size of cache files on the source server. To determine the amount of disk space the destination server requires, perform the following steps.

To determine disk space required for BranchCache cache files

  1. On the source server, open a Command Prompt session. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open text box, and then press Enter or click OK.

  2. To display the directory in which the cache files are stored, run the following command:

    netsh branchcache show localcache
    
  3. The results of the command show the directory in which cache files are stored. Change directories to this location.

  4. In the cache files directory, type dir, and then press Enter.

    The results of the dir command show the total disk space, in bytes, of cache files.

Prepare destination server for migration

To prepare the destination server

  1. Install Windows Server 2008 R2 on the destination server.

  2. Import the Server Manager module by running the following command:

    Import-Module ServerManager
    
  3. Determine if BranchCache is installed by running the following command:

    Get-WindowsFeature BranchCache
    
  4. If BranchCache is not currently installed, run the following command to install it:

    Add-WindowsFeature BranchCache
    
  5. Verify that BranchCache is installed by running the following command:

    Get-WindowsFeature BranchCache
    
  6. Check the location of the cache on the source server by running the following command on the source server:

    netsh branchcache show localcache
    
  7. If you would like the cache to be stored in a different location on the destination server, run the following command on the destination server to configure the cache directory of your choice. Otherwise, skip this step.

    netsh branchcache set localcache directory=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\branchcache\LocalCache
    

Note

If you want to allow the cache to be moved to the same path where it was located on the source server, you should not run this command. Only run this command if you want to force the cache into a different location than the one which is configured on the source computer.

It is helpful to use environment variables to set the cache location because the environment variable is resolved on the destination computer.
  1. Ensure that UDP port 7000 is not in use by other applications. This port is used by Send-SmigServerData and Receive-SmigServerData to establish a data transfer connection. For more information about how to determine if a port is in use, see How To Determine Which Program Uses or Blocks Specific Transmission Control Protocol Ports in Windows Server 2003 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=154740).

Note

If you have changed the default behavior of Windows Firewall (or another firewall program) to block outbound traffic on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, you must explicitly allow outbound traffic on UDP port 7000. For more information about how to open UDP port 7000, see File Services Migration: Appendix A - Optional Procedures.

  1. Open TCP port 7000 and make sure it is not in use by other applications. This port is used by Send-SmigServerData and Receive-SmigServerData to perform the data transfer. For more information about how to open TCP port 7000, see File Services Migration: Appendix A - Optional Procedures. For more information about how to determine if a port is in use, see How To Determine Which Program Uses or Blocks Specific Transmission Control Protocol Ports in Windows Server 2003 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=154740).

  2. Verify that the destination path has sufficient disk space to migrate the data. If NTFS or FSRM quota management is enabled on the destination server disk drive, verify that the NTFS or FSRM quota limit allows for sufficient free disk space to migrate data. For more information about FSRM quota management, see one of the following.

    For more information about NTFS quota management, see one of the following.

The destination server is now prepared for migration.

Back up your source server

Back up data on the source server. Backup instructions are available at Windows Server Backup Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128732).

Prepare your source server

When you installed Windows Server Migration Tools on the destination server, you created a Windows Server Migration Tools package for the source server. Later in this guide, you will use the Export-SmigServerSetting cmdlet to collect the BranchCache feature configuration and state information and export that data to a migration store.

Ensure that UDP port 7000 is not in use by other applications. This port is used by Send-SmigServerData and Receive-SmigServerData to establish a data transfer connection. For more information about how to determine if a port is in use, see How To Determine Which Program Uses or Blocks Specific Transmission Control Protocol Ports in Windows Server 2003 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=154740).

Note

If you have changed the default behavior of Windows Firewall to block outbound traffic on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, you must explicitly allow outbound traffic on UDP port 7000. For more information about how to open UDP port 7000, see File Services Migration: Appendix A - Optional Procedures.

Open TCP port 7000 and ensure that it is not in use by other applications. This port is used by Send-SmigServerData and Receive-SmigServerData to perform the data transfer. For more information about how to open TCP port 7000, see File Services Migration: Appendix A - Optional Procedures. For more information about how to determine if a port is in use, see How To Determine Which Program Uses or Blocks Specific Transmission Control Protocol Ports in Windows Server 2003 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=154740).

You are now ready to start the migration, as described in BranchCache Migration: Migrating BranchCache.

See Also

Concepts

BranchCache Migration Guide
BranchCache Migration: Migrating BranchCache
BranchCache Migration: Verifying the Migration
BranchCache Migration: Post-migration Tasks