Changing a motherboard on a server
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From: Dan V on 30 Jun 2010 20:50 I have a custom built Windows 2003 Small Business Server. This in the only DC and it runs Exchange 2k3 and acts as a file/print server. The motherboard has a few capacitors that are blown. I can not get the same motherboard so i will have to use a different one. The server has an adaptec sata raid card. The 3 HDD are setup in a raid 5. Option 1: If i find a new motherboard that will use the exisiting processors and memory what is the correct way to prepare the server for a new hardware change? I have good backups but i want to prevent the server from crashing due to different motherboards. Also i would hope that the new server will boot with the same raid info. Option 2: bring a lowner server and join it to the domain and move all the roles and GC over and move exchange over with all the mailboxes, move all the files and redo the login script. But then when i get the new server fixed i have to move everything back over. Seems too much of a hasle. My main issue is the customer like most dont want to spend the money for a new server. Any thoughts on this.
From: Phillip Windell on 1 Jul 2010 12:00 That is already really tough one. Being SBS just makes it worse. First I'll cover the official way for SBS. Lastly I list an article for doing it with the Server OS "in general", but I don't know how with it being SBS might cause that to fail. CYA here... For Exchange2003 you can use Exmerge to export the mail to PST files and hold them safe that way. This is your most solid backup for Exchange contents if all other backup/restore methods fail. More CYA here.... If the old machine is still running you need to create a new temporary DC to serve as a backup for AD (even if you don't end up needing it). You need to CYA here. Then you just DCPromo it back out of the domain in the end. You probably cannot keep the array intact,...it will probably have to be re-created on new hardware then restore the contents from a Full Backup or from a drive image. Anyway, those I are the preparation things I would do first. Then for the actual hardware change these two articles below may help. I would lean to the first one, I thought the second one was very difficult to follow what was being done. Unfortunatly the assumption is that it is moving to totally new hardware and not simply a motherboard swap, so you you may have to alter the concept by using the temporoary Server that I mentioned above to preserve the AD,..worse yet you would have to do it twice,...once from the old to the Temp,...then from the Temp to the Rebuilt. So if they don't want to buy a new Server you will still have to come up with a temporary one somehow. But since you have to do everything twice,...and charge them for twice as much labor and time it may cost them more than buying a new Server. That may be leverage to convince them to buy a new Server and then move everything only once. Migrating Windows Small Business Server 2003 to New Hardware http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc747454%28WS.10%29.aspx Migrate to new hardware, no Swing, exmerge, no DCPromo, no AD restore ! - Smallbizserver.Net - Small Business Server Support Forum - English - Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 & 2000 - Small Business Server 2003 http://www.smallbizserver.net/Default.aspx?tabid=53&aft=55845 Now with the Windows OS in general look at: How to move a Windows installation to different hardware http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249694 -- Phillip Windell The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft, or anyone else associated with me, including my cats. ----------------------------------------------------- "Dan V" <dvalenti54athotmail.com> wrote in message news:O33yedLGLHA.5472(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >I have a custom built Windows 2003 Small Business Server. This in the only >DC and it runs Exchange 2k3 and acts as a file/print server. > > The motherboard has a few capacitors that are blown. I can not get the > same motherboard so i will have to use a different one. The server has an > adaptec sata raid card. The 3 HDD are setup in a raid 5. > > Option 1: If i find a new motherboard that will use the exisiting > processors and memory what is the correct way to prepare the server for a > new hardware change? I have good backups but i want to prevent the server > from crashing due to different motherboards. Also i would hope that the > new server will boot with the same raid info. > > Option 2: > bring a lowner server and join it to the domain and move all the roles and > GC over and move exchange over with all the mailboxes, move all the files > and redo the login script. But then when i get the new server fixed i have > to move everything back over. Seems too much of a hasle. > > My main issue is the customer like most dont want to spend the money for a > new server. > > Any thoughts on this. > >
From: Phillip Windell on 1 Jul 2010 12:15 Another option is to have the capacitors replaced. We've done that here,...we are a TV station,...so there are a few Broadcast Engineers running around with soldering irons with nothing better to do than patch up some of my old Mbs. I don't really like doing that,..I never trust the hardware after that as much as I would a new replacement,...but it is an option I thought I'd mention. -- Phillip Windell The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft, or anyone else associated with me, including my cats. ----------------------------------------------------- "Dan V" <dvalenti54athotmail.com> wrote in message news:O33yedLGLHA.5472(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >I have a custom built Windows 2003 Small Business Server. This in the only >DC and it runs Exchange 2k3 and acts as a file/print server. > > The motherboard has a few capacitors that are blown. I can not get the > same motherboard so i will have to use a different one. The server has an > adaptec sata raid card. The 3 HDD are setup in a raid 5. > > Option 1: If i find a new motherboard that will use the exisiting > processors and memory what is the correct way to prepare the server for a > new hardware change? I have good backups but i want to prevent the server > from crashing due to different motherboards. Also i would hope that the > new server will boot with the same raid info. > > Option 2: > bring a lowner server and join it to the domain and move all the roles and > GC over and move exchange over with all the mailboxes, move all the files > and redo the login script. But then when i get the new server fixed i have > to move everything back over. Seems too much of a hasle. > > My main issue is the customer like most dont want to spend the money for a > new server. > > Any thoughts on this. > >
From: Kerry Brown on 1 Jul 2010 13:26 You can use the sbsmigration.com "swing" method to move Active Directory and Exchange onto a temp domain controller then back onto the server once a new motherboard is installed. Because you're going back to the same server there are a couple of extra steps over a normal swing migration but the process is well understood and supported by sbsmigration.com. That is the most trouble free method. The least expensive method is to make sure you have several verified backups. Install the new motherboard. Do a "repair" install of the underlying Sever 2003 OS so it will work with the new hardware. Because it's SBS this last method will break many of the SBS wizards. If you are very familiar with SBS, the registry, and AD this can be fixed. If you are not I highly recommend the swing method. Their technical support is very good. http://www.sbsmigration.com/ -- Kerry Brown MS-MVP - Windows Desktop Experience: Systems Administration http://www.vistahelp.ca/phpBB2/ "Dan V" <dvalenti54athotmail.com> wrote in message news:O33yedLGLHA.5472(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > I have a custom built Windows 2003 Small Business Server. This in the only > DC and it runs Exchange 2k3 and acts as a file/print server. > > The motherboard has a few capacitors that are blown. I can not get the > same motherboard so i will have to use a different one. The server has an > adaptec sata raid card. The 3 HDD are setup in a raid 5. > > Option 1: If i find a new motherboard that will use the exisiting > processors and memory what is the correct way to prepare the server for a > new hardware change? I have good backups but i want to prevent the server > from crashing due to different motherboards. Also i would hope that the > new server will boot with the same raid info. > > Option 2: > bring a lowner server and join it to the domain and move all the roles and > GC over and move exchange over with all the mailboxes, move all the files > and redo the login script. But then when i get the new server fixed i have > to move everything back over. Seems too much of a hasle. > > My main issue is the customer like most dont want to spend the money for a > new server. > > Any thoughts on this. > >
From: Dusko Savatovic on 1 Jul 2010 18:52
If it's an older server, chances are that disks are much smaller capacity than what is usual today. Anyway I would clone both system disk and data disks (RAID) and then proceed with cloned disks. I wouldn't touch the old equipment to avoid damaging something. I would install new disks with old system files and data into a new server. If the server gives me BSOD, I'd insert SBS install disk and start 'repair' installation. The chances are that it would work. Another option is to go virtual. Get yourself a modern powerfull server and get a virtualization product of your choice. Both Hyper-V and VMWare have very good P2V (physical-to-virtual) solutions. The transition can be very fast with right tools. If you're uncomfortable, perhaps you can hire someone for the job. Good luck "Dan V" <dvalenti54athotmail.com> wrote in message news:O33yedLGLHA.5472(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... > I have a custom built Windows 2003 Small Business Server. This in the only > DC and it runs Exchange 2k3 and acts as a file/print server. > > The motherboard has a few capacitors that are blown. I can not get the > same motherboard so i will have to use a different one. The server has an > adaptec sata raid card. The 3 HDD are setup in a raid 5. > > Option 1: If i find a new motherboard that will use the exisiting > processors and memory what is the correct way to prepare the server for a > new hardware change? I have good backups but i want to prevent the server > from crashing due to different motherboards. Also i would hope that the > new server will boot with the same raid info. > > Option 2: > bring a lowner server and join it to the domain and move all the roles and > GC over and move exchange over with all the mailboxes, move all the files > and redo the login script. But then when i get the new server fixed i have > to move everything back over. Seems too much of a hasle. > > My main issue is the customer like most dont want to spend the money for a > new server. > > Any thoughts on this. > > |