Advise on switching servers. (Full Version)

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fhenkel -> Advise on switching servers. (6/12/2006 11:52:39)

I'm having to switch out my existing physical server (hardware wise) to a more powerful one. My plan is to simply switch out the hard drives from the old machine to the new machine. Any suggestions on what to watch for besides hoping Windows Server 2003 catches all the changes in the hardware? IP's will all stay the same.

The software involved is Server 2003, IIS 6.0, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, MailEnable. Two external 300 Gig USB storage drives, two internal 300 Gig drives, one which has the Operating system and one with existing websites. Graphic card will be the same as in the old machine. Five port USB card will also switch to new machine. Network printer will be the same. The only things different will be Bios, CPU, system board and network card. That's about it.

I'd like to have it back up ASAP once I start the switch, any thoughts welcome.



rdouglass -> RE: Advise on switching servers. (6/12/2006 13:13:11)

quote:

Two external 300 Gig USB storage drives,


I hope you're only using those for backup.

I don't like the sounds of you just "switching" drives - you have no safety net to drop back to the less-powerful-but-at-least-still-working machine. You start messing with the OS on those drives and you may end up with a set of disks that you can't get to work in either box without installing clean anyways.

quote:

The only things different will be Bios, CPU, system board and network card.


So the only thing different will be the brain, the heart, the lungs, and the nervous system. [;)] In terms of an OS, those are big items and not trivial changes.

If this is for a business, drives are cheap compared to loosing your data and I'd seriously recommend you consider installing on clean drives and 'restoring' the sites.

</$.02>



fhenkel -> RE: Advise on switching servers. (6/12/2006 18:46:39)

Thanks for the input. I've already imaged the main drive with the OS and such on it and placed it on another drive I had. I then hooked it into the old machine and it came up fine so I do have a working backout. This way I can go back to what it was if needed. The external drives are for storage and backups so they should come up fine as well as the second internal drive with the sites.

I also just recieved a note from one of the server guys where I used to work and he is real high on the Server 2003. He says he has had to do the same thing there when two of the 389 servers, he supports, crashed at the same time. He said that 2003 just re-detected all the hardware on the new machines and went back to work?? I guess tomorrow I'll give it a shot, after all rebuilding it will keep me off the street corners anyway.. :-)




rdouglass -> RE: Advise on switching servers. (6/12/2006 21:17:17)

quote:

He said that 2003 just re-detected all the hardware on the new machines and went back to work??


As long as they're close, most times there won't be an issue. If there *is* an issue, you just feed the fire of those 'Nix nuts when it crashes. [:D] [:D]



fhenkel -> RE: Advise on switching servers. (6/15/2006 14:33:28)

Well that was quick! Put the drive into the new machine and it gets to where it detects the two CD/DVD drives and stops right after that. The OS never even trys to boot up so I put it all back in the old machine and it is back up and running... Guess I'll start over again and build the new machine from scatch and then swap it out. Thanks for the input.



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