Upgrade/migration Question

[scj6771]

If I had a copy of Windows Server 2003 and a copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 and wanted to install and configure 2003 with AD/DNS and do an actual upgrade/migration TO 2008 could I do that from within a virtual environment?

 

Crazy question I know, and I am assuming this could be done? Just want to be familiar with the the entire AD/DNS upgrade process/commands.

 

The reality is that we are still on 2000 AD but I believe the best procedure would be to "stand-up" A 2003 machine first? Am I correct in saying that you cannot migrate from 2000 to 2008? Would this statement be true? " The best bet would be to convert the schema to Windows Server 2003 and then upgrade from 2003 to 2008."

 

If that is true, and I "stand-up" a 2003 box, how would I "convert the schema"? I guess That would be my first question :)

 

So steps are as follows?

 

1. create the 2003 AD server (this will be virtual).

 

2. "convert the schema

 

3. Upgrade to 2008?

[sunny]

I have not done that before. But I would like to remind you of the hardware requirements:

 

Windows Server 2000 System Requirements

Minimum

RAM: 32 MB (128 MB for Server) Processor: Pentium 133 MHz Hard Drive Space: 1 GB (2 GB for Server) 800x600 VGA or better monitor Keyboard or mouse

Reccommended

RAM: 256 MB Processor: Pentium II 300 MHz Hard Drive Space: 5 GB 1024x768 VGA or higher monitor Keyboard Mouse

 

*********************

 

Windows Server 2008 R2:

Processor

Minimum: Single processor with 1.4 GHz (x64 processor) or 1.3GHz (Dual Core)

Note: An Intel Itanium 2 processor is required for Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 for Itanium-Based Systems. To use RemoteFX, a SLAT-capable processor is required on the host.

Memory

Minimum: 512 MB RAM

Maximum: 8 GB (Foundation) or 32 GB (Standard) or 2 TB (Enterprise, Datacenter, and Itanium-Based Systems)

Disk Space Requirements

Minimum: 32 GB or greater

Note: Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files

Display

Super VGA (800 600) or higher resolution monitor

Other

DVD Drive, Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse (or compatible pointing device), Internet access (fees may apply) Note: To use RemoteFX, at least one qualified GPU is required on the host.

 

Hope this helps.

[ICTCity]

Hi there,

 

I never understood if you can migrate from 2000 to 2008 directly, but actually, I would not do that...

 

So, your idea seems to be the best way, first migrate to 2003 and then to 2008.

 

There are well documented procedures provided by MS:

How to migrate from 2000 to 2003:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325379

 

Migrate to 2008:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731188(WS.10).aspx

 

 

Be sure to understand everything before upgrading.

 

 

I just have a question for you: why do you have a 2000 domain? This is really important, because if you need to mantain backward compatibility, forget 2008!

 

What's your domain's name style? something like my_domain or my.domain? If you have the "underscore", you may have trouble migrating the domain.

 

 

 

You can install VMs to test this scenario. When you set up AD (domain) on the test scenario, make sure to select NEW DOMAIN and not NEW FOREST ON EXISTING DOMAIN or other.

 

 

If you have any other question... just ask.