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How to manually move or copy the active directory from sbs 2003 to windows server 2012

Hello,

We are using a sbs 2003 with 25 clients licenses. We have in this server the AD for the users, the DHCP service is running here. we do not have anything else important on it. We have a new windows server 2012 and we want to move or copy manually the AD and keep the same IPs to the new server without use the migration process.

I remember when we replaced our server 2000 for the sbs 2003 everything was manually but I do not remember the steps. I do not if this is possible or not but I want to keep the sbs 2003 as DC with all its settings, just in case we do something wrong with new installation(server 2012) so we can put the sbs 2003 back. I know I cannot have both servers(with the same settings) connected on the network at the same time.

Please give me a hand on this.

Thank you,

Aggieto

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Lee W, MVP

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Sean Fitzpatrick

You don't need to migrate, add a 2nd DC, install GC on it, let it replicate. Promote it so that the new DC is the primary DC. Leave old DC for archiving purposes. As long as you don't upgrade the domain functional level, when the DC replicates you should have a duplicate of the dc on the new DC.

I did this exact same thing with 2 new 2012 DC's at my old job. They were 2003 DC's. Installed 2 new 2012 servers, installed the AD infrastructure, added them as domain controllers, added the GC functionality, gave them about 24 hours to replicate, migrated the FSMO roles between the 2 new DC's, left 1 of the DC's around for archiving.

Lee W, MVP

Which is exactly what I suggested in option 1 of my first comment. All that is done in a MIGRATION.

Though because support for 2003 is ending, it should NOT be left around very long.

Sean Fitzpatrick

Lee, yea sorry, I was typing up a response when you posted your reply, got distracted by a customer and left it half finished.

Agnes Sevilla

ASKER

My concern about to migrate is that I want to have on the new server the same server name , domain name and the same IP address like my old server to avoid connections problems with my PC clients. Please correct me if I am wrong about this.

Thank you,

Lee W, MVP

Then you have to have a temporary server act and do this via a swing migration - basically, you migrate twice. (It's much simpler to design the systems properly in the first place so that preserving the name is of minimal importance). Your drive mappings should be done via script pr policy that can be easily changed. Still, it's almost certainly going to be easier and FAR FASTER to go around to each machine and change a couple things than to lose everything and recreate everything (UNLESS you swing migrate it). And a Swing Migration is not very fast either since you're doing TWO migrations.

Swing Migration:
Assume "MyServer" is the name of your server.

"MyServer" -- add "TempServer" then retire MyServer when TempServer is in place.
"TempServer" -- add new install using "MyServer" name then retire TempServer

Agnes Sevilla

ASKER

The thing to preserve the domain name etc is because we have different devices(leasing) and I do not have access to their settings and I cannot wait until the people in charge of these can make the changes.

Agnes Sevilla

ASKER

Thank you very much