https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/windows-admin-center<\/a> to orchestrate the migration. I have used a temporary Windows Server 2019 Evaluation virtual machine on top of my laptop’s Windows 10 Hyper-V role for that purpose, and it worked like a charm.<\/p>\nYou may still have a short downtime after the final cutover is made due to possible DNS lags and caching, but we are talking about seconds or a couple of minutes here.<\/p>","upvoteCount":1,"datePublished":"2021-08-17T10:41:38.000Z","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/t/file-server-replication/808350/6","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"supaplex-starwind","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/u/supaplex-starwind"}},{"@type":"Answer","text":"
Hi All,<\/p>\n
Sorry for the lack of engagement, been super busy.<\/p>\n
First, thank you for all the replies!<\/p>\n
I looked into the Storage Migration Service, however its noted that it doesn’t support workgroup environments. I have zero hands on experience with this so I can only go by what you all say, and what I read. (Still working on setting up my lab environment, so no real ability to “play” is available.)<\/p>\n
As it stands, I’m looking at robocopy as a one shot deal since there is less than 500GB of data to transfer. That said, we have a major project coming up where where SMS would come in real handy.<\/p>\n
Switching gears, anyone have suggestions for a profile migration tool? I was looking at Profile wiz from ForesniT however I’ve been told it has tendency to corrupt profiles, and cause data corruption/deletion… Anyone have real world experience with it?<\/p>\n
Much appreciate the help!!<\/p>\n
RS<\/p>","upvoteCount":1,"datePublished":"2021-08-20T17:13:37.000Z","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/t/file-server-replication/808350/7","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"raysperle","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/u/raysperle"}},{"@type":"Answer","text":"\n\n
<\/div>\n
GeekNahalf:<\/div>\n
\nSwitching gears, anyone have suggestions for a profile migration tool? I was looking at Profile wiz from ForesniT however I’ve been told it has tendency to corrupt profiles, and cause data corruption/deletion… Anyone have real world experience with it?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n
I have used it many times without any serious issues. A profile migration assumes you know and fully understand what you are doing. If that is the case, migration will go as smoothly as it can be. People mostly misuse or misconfigure it and keep reporting rumors about corrupt profiles and data deletion.<\/p>","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2021-08-21T06:16:12.000Z","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/t/file-server-replication/808350/8","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"supaplex-starwind","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/u/supaplex-starwind"}},{"@type":"Answer","text":"
As a side point, I would recommend having at least 2 DCs in place to not having single point of failure. As stated above, You could either using Storage Migration or Robocopy or File Server Migration Toolkit (FSMT) as an alternative solution. But no, You’ll have downtime unless you do it out of the work hours.<\/p>","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2022-08-28T17:16:09.000Z","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/t/file-server-replication/808350/9","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Internet_Schneider","url":"https://community.spiceworks.com/u/Internet_Schneider"}}]}}
raysperle
August 13, 2021, 6:10am
1
Hi All,
I’ve searched the forum looking for my particular situation but haven’t found one that gives me the answers I need. Never posted here before but aways find myself ending up here when searching for answers…
I have a workgroup environment with 1 server (MS 2008) and 15 workstations (windows 10), and lots of server side shares and client side mapped drives.
I need to transfer the file structure and data to the new 2019 server, and convert to domain with no down time. AND… I’d like to do it during business hours. Its a small office and the DC will be the only server, and I have 2 weeks to complete.
Also, the two servers are on the same 2019 Hyper-V host if that helps…
What is the best way to accomplish this with as little impact to the users?
Much appreciate the help.
RS
8 Spice ups
Nick-C
August 13, 2021, 6:20am
2
This won’t cover all your requirements but for the file server migration part check out the new Storage Migration Service:
Storage Migration Service makes it easier to migrate storage to Windows Server or to Azure. It provides a graphical tool that inventories data on Windows, Linux, and NetApp CIFS servers and then transfers the data to newer servers or to Azure virtual...
3 Spice ups
robocopy files, copy share permissions, shut down old FS. New FS rename & change IP
1 Spice up
For copying the files, I much prefer FreeFileSync to robocopy. I think it’s faster overall (particularly for “incremental” copies after the first) and just works better.
If you’ve got a bunch of shares to move, the shares and permissions are defined in the registry under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Shares
Extract that on the old system, import that on the new. This assumes the drive layout on the new server is the same as the old.
The bigger thing may be the “convert to domain with no down time” part. Getting permissions to both work and be reasonably restricted is likely to take some thought. Profile changes when users log into the domain vs a workgroup as well.
The Storage Migration Service will do what you need, especially if you’re in a Workgroup environment where your current access is through local accounts. To users, the changeover could be almost transparent.
1 Spice up
I completely agree you should use the Storage Migration Service. It will do all the job automatically and still give you complete control over the process. You can check the following overview and guide to get a basic understanding of how it works before pulling the trigger https://www.starwindsoftware.com/blog/migrate-your-file-servers-with-storage-migration-service .https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/windows-admin-center to orchestrate the migration. I have used a temporary Windows Server 2019 Evaluation virtual machine on top of my laptop’s Windows 10 Hyper-V role for that purpose, and it worked like a charm.
You may still have a short downtime after the final cutover is made due to possible DNS lags and caching, but we are talking about seconds or a couple of minutes here.
1 Spice up
raysperle
August 20, 2021, 5:13pm
7
Hi All,
Sorry for the lack of engagement, been super busy.
First, thank you for all the replies!
I looked into the Storage Migration Service, however its noted that it doesn’t support workgroup environments. I have zero hands on experience with this so I can only go by what you all say, and what I read. (Still working on setting up my lab environment, so no real ability to “play” is available.)
As it stands, I’m looking at robocopy as a one shot deal since there is less than 500GB of data to transfer. That said, we have a major project coming up where where SMS would come in real handy.
Switching gears, anyone have suggestions for a profile migration tool? I was looking at Profile wiz from ForesniT however I’ve been told it has tendency to corrupt profiles, and cause data corruption/deletion… Anyone have real world experience with it?
Much appreciate the help!!
RS
1 Spice up
GeekNahalf:
Switching gears, anyone have suggestions for a profile migration tool? I was looking at Profile wiz from ForesniT however I’ve been told it has tendency to corrupt profiles, and cause data corruption/deletion… Anyone have real world experience with it?
I have used it many times without any serious issues. A profile migration assumes you know and fully understand what you are doing. If that is the case, migration will go as smoothly as it can be. People mostly misuse or misconfigure it and keep reporting rumors about corrupt profiles and data deletion.
As a side point, I would recommend having at least 2 DCs in place to not having single point of failure. As stated above, You could either using Storage Migration or Robocopy or File Server Migration Toolkit (FSMT) as an alternative solution. But no, You’ll have downtime unless you do it out of the work hours.
