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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Preparing for Upgrades and Migration One downside to upgrading an existing server is the possibility of installation or configuration problems that render the system unusable. This potential downside can be addressed by creating a full backup of the current server (and any data it contains), preferably an image- based backup that can be readily applied if restoration is necessary. Review System Requirements and Compatibility Although it is important to note the minimum requirements for Windows Server 2003 as described in Chapter 2, Planning for Windows Server 2003, rarely do the minimum requirements allow a server to meet the operational demands placed upon it in an enterprise network environment. Consider for a moment that the performance of your servers running Windows Server 2003 will be more important than most of the other systems on your network. These servers are where a significant percentage of your network workload will reside; thus, enhancing the server hardware for Windows Server 2003 installations is a good idea. Particularly if you are planning to upgrade a server that runs Windows NT 4, evaluate the hardware and not only from the perspective of meeting the minimum requirements, but also evaluate how effective/optimal it is for running Windows Server 2003 (and any services it is configured to provide). To help assess server compatibility, do the following: . Review Windows Server Catalog at http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/catalog/server. . Review the HCL at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx. . Review the DocsRelnotes.htm on the product CD. . Check application compatibility at http://msdn.microsoft.com/compatibility. Check Drive Partitioning Prior to upgrading servers, review the partitioning and free disk space on drives that you intend to upgrade. The partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003 should be an NTFS partition. If upgrading, the partition must have at least 2 GB of space, though a minimum of 4 GB is recommended. An important caveat on upgrading Windows NT 4 systems is the lack of support for drives configured with Windows NT 4 volume, mirror, or striped sets. To handle Windows NT 4 fault-tolerant configurations, do the following: . If you are using Windows NT 4 disk mirroring, back up all data on the mirrored volume and break the mirror set. . If you are using a Windows NT 4 volume set, stripe set, or stripe set with parity (redundant array of independent disks [RAID] 0 or 5), back up all data on the set, remove RAID, and re-create it after the upgrade. Chapter 7
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Inside Out Chapter 7 The decision whether to migrate or upgrade depends upon a number of factors. Start by answering the fundamental questions for each server: . Is it possible? Do the system hardware and software support an upgrade, and, if so, to which edition of Windows Server 2003? . Can the existing hardware support the necessary service and operations load? . Is it desirable? Are there services or applications that are beneficial to maintain in place, or would you be better off with a new, clean installation and migrating the data? When installing Windows Server 2003 domain controllers, you also must determine whether to upgrade or to migrate security principals from the existing domain controllers. Upgrading vs. Migrating Where it is possible, performing an upgrade has substantial advantages over performing a migration in that it maintains existing server and application configuration settings. Migration, on the other hand, requires that you move security principals from an existing domain controller using Microsoft or third- party migration tools. An upgrade is an in-place installation of Windows Server 2003 on a server running Windows NT or Windows 2000. An upgrade provides operational advantages to a business that must maintain the services that the server is currently providing (without reconfiguration) while updating the operating system software. An upgrade has certain advantages over migration, as follows: . It is done in place, leaving existing servers intact and operational. . Existing configuration data are incorporated. . Current device and driver settings are leveraged. . Configured security settings are maintained. The following configuration data is maintained during the upgrade process: . User accounts and settings . Group settings . User rights . Permissions . Application configuration information Yet there are limits to the utility of upgrading servers from previous operating systems. Repeated upgrading of servers from Windows NT 4 to Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 can result in the server providing less than optimal performance. Where server performance is important, a new installation will deliver better overall service performance, providing an advantage to migrating instead of upgrading. 220
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Preparing for Upgrades and Migration Applications on Upgraded Servers Some of your applications will handle the upgrade to Windows Server 2003 without problem, yet not all of them will. Determining which is which beforehand makes the upgrade process much less traumatic. Some widely used applications, such as Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, simply won t run on Windows Server 2003 something you wouldn t want to find out in the middle of an upgrade. Prior to upgrading your servers that run Windows 2000, review the Relnotes.htm in the Docs folder of the Windows Server 2003 product CD for information concerning your applications. You might also want to check the software vendor s Web site for relevant information and obtain the Application Compatibility Toolkit from the Microsoft Web site at http:// msdn.microsoft.com/compatibility. Exchange 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 You should be aware of a number of critical issues if you are running Exchange 2000 Server and are planning to install Windows Server 2003 domain controllers. Although you can work around all of the issues, you must plan for Windows Server 2003 with Exchange 2000 Server in mind. Some of the problems and their solutions are simple: Exchange 2000 Server won t run on Windows Server 2003. The solution is easy: Keep enough servers running Windows 2000 to host Exchange 2000 Server, or upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. Others are less straightforward: There are schema incompatibilities between Exchange 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, which can result in corrupted directory information. Because of issues such as this, a number of hot fixes must be applied, schema differences must be accounted for, and so on. Prior to installing Windows Server 2003 into a network using Exchange Server 2000, be sure to research the issues and workarounds using the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles on the subject article number 314649 is a good place to start. Selecting Upgrade or Migration Path For many different deployments, upgrading versus migrating is indicated by the deployment goals and contingencies of the existing server and network operating system (NOS) infrastructure. Chapter 7
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Inside Out Chapter 7 Tip Renaming Active Directory domains isn t easy Windows Server 2003 introduces the capability to rename domains, which facilitates reorganizing your Active Directory tree after an upgrade. Even with the domain rename capability, however, this is not a trivial process, and you will want to approach renaming operations cautiously. This capability is available only once all domain controllers in the forest are running Windows Server 2003 and the forest is operating in Windows Server 2003 forest functional level. Upgrading Domain Controllers Review the servers currently acting as domain controllers, noting domain, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and geographic location. Branch offices require special attention because of replication issues. Identify domain controllers that will act as global catalog and bridgehead servers. You also must determine the order in which you will upgrade domain controllers. The recommended order for upgrading domain controllers from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 is 1 Use the Active Directory Installation Wizard (Dcpromo) to install Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 based member server in the forest root domain. This creates the first Windows Server 2003 domain controller in the forest. 2 Upgrade the operating system on the Windows 2000 based domain controller holding the domain naming master role. If you choose not to upgrade the domain controller, transfer the Domain Naming Master role to a domain controller running Windows Server 2003. 3 Upgrade the operating system on the Windows 2000 based domain controller holding the PDC Emulator role in each domain, or transfer the roles to Windows Server 2003 based domain controllers. 4 Upgrade all remaining Windows 2000 based domain controllers to Windows Server 2003. You also must evaluate the disk partition and available free disk space for upgrading the Active Directory database (Ntds.dit) and extensible storage engine (Esent) log files free space should be a minimum of 10 percent of the existing size of the Active Directory database and 20 percent of the existing size of the log files (a minimum of 300 megabytes [MB]). Tip Installing service packs might be required before you upgrade Before upgrading a Windows 2000 forest and domains by using the Active Directory Preparation Wizard, all Windows 2000 domain controllers within the forest must have Service Pack 1 with QFE 265089 or (perhaps more easily) Service Pack 2 or later. This is necessary to avoid domain data corruption. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 331161. 218
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Preparing for Upgrades and Migration Additional Research In addition to the compatibility testing, you might want to do some additional research on compatibility. Some places you might check include the following: . The Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), which provides a list of systems and components that have been tested with Windows Server 2003, is available at http:// www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx. . The Windows Server Catalog provides software compatibility information and is located at http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/catalog/server. . Software and hardware vendors generally have information about how their products operate with the various Windows operating systems and, if they don t, you might reconsider purchasing their products. A bit of research on critical applications and common hardware can pay off if you can avoid a serious problem or even a flurry of small ones. . Online discussion groups often yield valuable information about real-life experiences with Windows Server 2003 and various types of hardware and software. One good source for Usenet groups is Google Groups at http://groups.google.com. Check vendor sites for private newsgroups, which are often frequented by system administrators and, if you re lucky, tech support staff from the vendor. Preparing for an Upgrade from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 Moving servers from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 is a relatively straightforward process. You will almost certainly continue to use the existing DNS and Active Directory configuration, network services, administrative methods, and so on. Obviously, this reduces considerably the amount of work involved in a network upgrade. Upgrading Windows 2000 Forests and Domains Moving Active Directory from Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2003 is a relatively simple task. However, you must take a few steps prior to installation, starting with verifying a backup of the directory, followed by running a directory preparation program (Adprep) a number of times, including once for the forest and again for each domain. The information updated in each of these steps must be replicated to every domain controller (in the forest or domain, respectively), taking a little time, but not much effort. Chapter 7 For more information about Adprep, see Chapter 8, Upgrading to Windows Server 2003.
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Inside Out Chapter 7 Note Windows Server 2003 can upgrade only Windows Server products. This means that you can t upgrade directly from Windows NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional, although you can upgrade the system to the server version of the current operating system and then upgrade that version if desired. Inside Out Sometimes a clean start is best When you are counting on being able to gain peak performance and reliability from a server, there is a lot to be said for installing a brand new, clean copy of Windows Server 2003. Although upgrading a server is easier in the short run, that server still carries the baggage of the previous installation, which all too often means mysterious configuration settings, outdated device drivers, and fragmented drives, as well as unknown (often unused) software taking up disk space. This is more of a problem in some situations than others. For example, there is a higher tolerance for failure with a print server that handles a couple of departmental printers than with a domain controller. In situations in which you must comprehensively control and manage the configuration of a server, you should balance the short-term convenience of an upgrade with the long-term implications of doing so. You might find that a clean installation is wiser in the long run. Verifying Hardware and Software Compatibility It is a good idea to check compatibility issues thoroughly for each server running the Windows operating system that you plan to upgrade. Running the provided system compatibility check and doing some research before installing Windows Server 2003 can save you many headaches later on. Windows Server 2003 Setup can perform a hardware and software compatibility analysis on a server and provide a report with detected issues and suggested resolutions. The report includes information about hardware and software compatibility, services that will be disabled during the upgrading process, and whether the forest and domain have been prepared for upgrading Active Directory. The analysis can be started in two ways: . Select the Check System Compatibility option on the Setup menu that loads when the product CD is inserted. . Run WINNT32 /checkupgradeonly from the command line. (Winnt32 is in the I386 folder on your product CD.) 216
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Preparing for Upgrades and Migration Deciding Between Upgrading and Migrating When deciding whether to upgrade or perform a migration, you must examine several aspects of your current environment, starting with the most fundamental: Is the existing hardware adequate? It s not just a case of meeting minimum system requirements; rather, you must consider whether system performance meets your real-world needs. If it s slow now, it s not going to get any better. When considering existing systems, make sure that you factor in all the services and applications that will be running on the server. Another thing to consider is the history of each existing server. Has it been in place for a number of years, with the inevitable wear and tear that that entails? Is a lot of additional software installed? Have a number of patches and service packs been applied? If so, you might want to start with a clean installation, even if you are using existing hardware to do so. On the other hand, if you have a server with a complex configuration and it is stable, you might want to take advantage of all the work that has gone into it and perform an upgrade. You should consider whether sufficient hard disk drive space is available. At least 2 gigabytes (GB) of disk space and preferably more is required for an upgrade of Windows Server 2003. This can be an issue on systems that have small partitions, such as those using file allocation table (FAT) partitions, which might not be large enough to support an upgrade at all, rather than the NTFS file system. Chapter 7 Tip Don t upgrade servers you should replace Hardware has dropped in price considerably over the past few years, making new servers and components more affordable than ever. This makes it easier to ensure that servers have the capabilities they need to provide the services you require. You might also find used servers that meet your needs at online auction sites, such as eBay. Bid wisely and with reputable sellers and you could get some great deals. The current operating system is another factor to keep in mind. Is the system running some version of Windows Server? Is an upgrade to the version of Windows Server 2003 you want installed on that system supported? Table 7-1 shows the supported upgrade paths from earlier versions of the Windows operating system. Table 7-1. Supported Upgrade Paths Current Windows Version Upgrades to These Editions Windows 2000 Server Standard, Enterprise Windows 2000 Advanced Server Enterprise Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Datacenter Windows NT Server 4 Standard, Enterprise Windows NT Server 4, Terminal Server Edition Standard, Enterprise Windows NT Server 4, Enterprise Edition Enterprise
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Inside Out Chapter 7 The amount of effort involved in the move to Windows Server 2003 largely depends on whether you are currently using Windows NT or Windows 2000. For example, consider one of the most significant features in Windows Server 2003, the Active Directory directory service. . Windows NT 4 The change in network management that the move from Windows NT domains to Active Directory entails presents a set of architectural and operational questions for both Information Technology (IT) and business management. Implementing Active Directory requires defining and creating a Domain Name System (DNS) namespace and an Active Directory forest and domain structure. Security, user rights, network administration, Group Policy, and so on are handled by Active Directory, so a large number of disparate aspects of the network and business must be taken into account in the design process not a trivial task. . Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Moving from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003, on the other hand, requires far less planning and administrative effort, because the DNS design and Active Directory namespace are already done. Although there are some new features and management changes, the changes to Active Directory between Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 are nominal, especially when compared to the switch from Windows NT domains to Active Directory. The same is true to a great extent throughout the operating system the change between Windows NT 4 and Windows Server 2003 is substantial, while the difference when moving from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 is much less so. Whether you can upgrade an existing server to Windows Server 2003 depends on hardware compatibility, available disk space, and adequate hardware resources (central processing unit [CPU], random access memory [RAM]). Upgrading to Windows Server 2003 is also dependent upon the existing version of the Windows operating system Setup upgrades only Windows NT 4 Server (with Service Pack 5 or later) and Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003. Tip Get tools for migrating to Windows Server 2003 In those cases in which you want to start with a clean installation of Windows Server 2003 and migrate your users, computers, groups, and security settings to a new Active Directory forest and domain, you must determine which domains and security principals will be migrated and then select the migration tools to use. Although there are several migration tools available from independent vendors, Microsoft does supply migration capability in its Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT). For more information on migration, see Chapter 9, Migrating to Windows Server 2003. 214
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Part 3: Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations Chapter 7 Preparing for Upgrades and Migration Deciding Between Upgrading and Selecting Upgrade or Migration Path . . . 219 Migrating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Preparing for an Upgrade from Preparing for an Upgrade Windows NT 4 to Windows from Windows 2000 to Server 2003. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225 Windows Server 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Moving your existing network servers to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 is a significant step and requires due consideration of a somewhat complicated question to upgrade or to migrate? A first step in this process is perhaps determining whether each server can be upgraded (i.e., does it meet the minimum requirements?). Once you determine that it does meet the minimum requirements, you must consider whether you want to upgrade or migrate it. To distinguish between the use of the terms upgrading and migrating as used in this chapter: . Upgrading involves installing Windows Server 2003 over the top of an existing Microsoft Windows server installation, maintaining all configuration settings. When you upgrade a server to Windows Server 2003, you maintain all of the existing information in place. Most applications and services operate just as they did before the upgrade, although a few, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) among them, are somewhat different. . Migrating involves creating a new installation of Windows Server 2003 and transferring the domain and user settings from another Windows server operating system (Microsoft Windows NT 4, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Windows Server 2003). During a migration, a new installation of Windows Server 2003 is done, most often on a new machine. Once the operating system is installed, information is moved from the existing server to the new one using migration tools. You can use tools from Microsoft or a number of third-party vendors such as Aelita and NetPro.
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Part 3 Windows Server 2003 Upgrades and Migrations 7 Preparing for Upgrades and Migration 213 8 Upgrading to Windows Server 2003 229 9 Migrating to Windows Server 2003 251
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