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    Small Business Server 2003 to 2012 R2 Migration and Virtualized Domain Controller Questions

    IT Discussion
    windows windows server sbs windows server 201 small business ser active directory domain controller
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    • scottalanmillerS
      scottalanmiller
      last edited by

      And by that I mean keeping the BackupAssist, all roles on one server, static IPs, everything. If you skip virtualizing today you are locked in for the life of the system. You give up your options.

      But as long as you virtualized now, everything else can stay the same and/or change gradually over time. Only this one piece is a cut and dry do now or miss out for a long time.

      I don't want this to seem overwhelming because of lots of moving parts. But I don't want you screwed for years to come either.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • DashrenderD
        Dashrender
        last edited by

        To bad you don't have more time to work/play with this.

        First things first - @scottalanmiller is right - you should ditch HyperV only because you don't have the time to learn how to make it work correctly. VMWare ESXi Hypervisor (free version) is super simple to install - insert CD and install. it's pretty much nearly that simple.

        Even if you stay with HyperV now that you have performance issue resolved you're 80% there.

        As Scott mentioned, the processes you have to follow to move to a new server are the same on VM or physical server.

        @garak0410 said:

        @garak0410 said:

        @scottalanmiller said:

        I would generally wait until after hours but should be pretty safe in most environments. AD is rarely something that an SMB depends on minute to minute.

        Tempting to do now...but I can VPN around 5:30 and run it too.

        I tried running ADPREP and it didn't work since my current Domain Controller is 32 bit. So if I understand this article correct:

        http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2743367

        It has to be run remotely? It was kind of vague.

        Correct - you have to run the commands on a 64bit system (most likely your newly installed 2012 R2 server)

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • scottalanmillerS
          scottalanmiller
          last edited by

          The ADPrep issues will follow you to a physical environment too.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • garak0410G
            garak0410
            last edited by

            I do appreciate the encouragement to drive on with my virtual plan...just ready to get it off my plate.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • scottalanmillerS
              scottalanmiller
              last edited by

              My thought was... You already have it done. It is working on HyperV now. So it is all done. Now you can just proceed as if it were physical. Ignore that it is virtual from here forward is now your path of least resistance. Going physical requires installing fresh and starting over.

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              • garak0410G
                garak0410
                last edited by

                By the way...turning off VMQ also made remote desktop much better... 🙂 So that solved my speed woes for sure...

                scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • garak0410G
                  garak0410
                  last edited by

                  BackupAssist had been giving me conflicting stories...they said I can run their stuff on the host AND backup AD from the host and have granular restores. I am still a little wary of it as it just does one large backup and doesn't let me select what exact folders I want...

                  http://www.backupassist.com/education/resources/hyperv_implementation_guide.html

                  scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • scottalanmillerS
                    scottalanmiller @garak0410
                    last edited by

                    @garak0410 said:

                    By the way...turning off VMQ also made remote desktop much better... 🙂 So that solved my speed woes for sure...

                    Yes. Sounds like that was just causing general network havoc.

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                    • scottalanmillerS
                      scottalanmiller @garak0410
                      last edited by

                      @garak0410 said:

                      BackupAssist had been giving me conflicting stories...they said I can run their stuff on the host AND backup AD from the host and have granular restores. I am still a little wary of it as it just does one large backup and doesn't let me select what exact folders I want...

                      http://www.backupassist.com/education/resources/hyperv_implementation_guide.html

                      When you say "the host" what do you mean?

                      Why not use BackupAssist exactly like you are using it now?

                      garak0410G 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • garak0410G
                        garak0410 @scottalanmiller
                        last edited by

                        @scottalanmiller said:

                        @garak0410 said:

                        BackupAssist had been giving me conflicting stories...they said I can run their stuff on the host AND backup AD from the host and have granular restores. I am still a little wary of it as it just does one large backup and doesn't let me select what exact folders I want...

                        http://www.backupassist.com/education/resources/hyperv_implementation_guide.html

                        When you say "the host" what do you mean?

                        Why not use BackupAssist exactly like you are using it now?

                        The physical server that hosts the virtual's. What they kept telling me over and over is that the ONLY way AD could be backed up was only from the Domain Controller itself.

                        But as you said in the other post, I can just load BackupAssist on the Domain Controller, back up AD and remote backup the files and SQL and also do supplemental backups of the VM's with Unitrends when I get it working.

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                        • scottalanmillerS
                          scottalanmiller
                          last edited by

                          The "host" as you are calling it is not the Domain Controller. It is the HyperV control environment. It cannot be used for anything else. No DC, no backups. It is not available to you except to control HyperV. Don't think of it as being a Windows Server. From a license standpoint, it is not.

                          Your DC is a VM and just install BackupAssist there as the vendor said to.

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                          • scottalanmillerS
                            scottalanmiller
                            last edited by

                            This is, sadly, one of the ways in which HyperV is more confusing than every other product on the market. Microsoft, in an attempt to make things "easy" makes the SO confusing.

                            garak0410G 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • garak0410G
                              garak0410 @scottalanmiller
                              last edited by

                              @scottalanmiller said:

                              This is, sadly, one of the ways in which HyperV is more confusing than every other product on the market. Microsoft, in an attempt to make things "easy" makes the SO confusing.

                              Good, I am justified in my confusion. Ha. And I now see where something like Unitrends is helpful in VM backups now too.

                              OK, I am going to bump my DC up in memory to handle the backups for now. See, just see an advantage of virtualization. I just am not ready for new snafu's if they should arise related to Hyper-V. 😞

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                              • scottalanmillerS
                                scottalanmiller
                                last edited by

                                And, just in case it isn't clear elsewhere, Unitrends is a VM on is own. It doesn't run on top of something else. You just download and pop into HyperV. It's an appliance, just in virtual form.

                                garak0410G 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • garak0410G
                                  garak0410 @scottalanmiller
                                  last edited by

                                  @scottalanmiller said:

                                  And, just in case it isn't clear elsewhere, Unitrends is a VM on is own. It doesn't run on top of something else. You just download and pop into HyperV. It's an appliance, just in virtual form.

                                  Yes...I installed Unitrends and it automatically created a Hyper-V VM. It was nice.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • garak0410G
                                    garak0410
                                    last edited by

                                    OK...this is officially Migration Week and ready to just "do it."...everyone has twisted my arm to remain with and trust Virtualization. Now that I got that VMQ turned off, the VM's run great.

                                    So, another question I am unclear about and I have may have asked about it in some capacity...and I'll try to be as detailed as possible.

                                    So, since I can skip running ADPREP on the existing Domain Controller since it is 32 Bit, when do I run it on the future new Domain Controller?

                                    My next step in the migration portion of this is this:

                                    			□ Add the AD role.
                                    				® http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh472162
                                    				® After adding the AD DS role and DNS roles to your new Windows 2012 R2 Server simply click the link under Post-deployment configuration from your server manager titled "Promote this server to a Domain Controller"
                                    				® Walk through the wizard and add your new domain controller to your existing domain.
                                    

                                    So, here are my questions:
                                    I've never done this wizard before...will it eventually prompt me to enter a domain name? (I want it to be the same as my current one for sure)
                                    By promoting it, it will not affect the other one at all correct? So I should be able to do this during business hours right? Only on demotion of the old one, will this one take over, right?

                                    Thanks...

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                                    • scottalanmillerS
                                      scottalanmiller
                                      last edited by

                                      You should already be joined to the domain. It doesn't need to ask you the domain name because you only promote within the domain that you are already in.

                                      garak0410G 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • scottalanmillerS
                                        scottalanmiller
                                        last edited by

                                        Becoming a DC will not impact the other DC. Having multiple DCs at once is how AD is meant to be used.

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                                        • garak0410G
                                          garak0410 @scottalanmiller
                                          last edited by

                                          @scottalanmiller said:

                                          You should already be joined to the domain. It doesn't need to ask you the domain name because you only promote within the domain that you are already in.

                                          OK, going to go step by step now...even without having the AD role yet, it is OK to join my new Domain Controller VM to the domain, correct? Just wanted to make sure...

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • scottalanmillerS
                                            scottalanmiller
                                            last edited by

                                            Yes it must be joined to the domain.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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