How to migrate windows server 2003 to 2008

And with Microsoft widely expected to ship Windows 8 in October, can your business afford to be two or three OS generations behind? Server admins are even more conservative. In this case, Windows Server R2 requires bit hardware, and the interface is just different enough to make them nervous. The latest server applications, however, are compatible only with the newer operating system. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows in , and extended support ends in At the desktop level, there are few advantages to installing the bit version of Windows 7.

The biggest reason to stick with the bit version is that you might have difficulty finding bit drivers for legacy hardware. There is no bit version of Windows R2. You can run bit applications, but bit support is not installed by default. Before you begin migrating roles and features, verify that both source and destination servers are running the most current updates that are available for their operating systems. Whenever you migrate or upgrade to any version of Windows Server, you should review and understand the support lifecycle policy and time frame for that version and plan accordingly.

You can search for the lifecycle information for the particular Windows Server release that you are interested in. Windows Server Migration Tools enables you to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to servers, including later versions of Windows Server. Learn more about how to install, use, and remove Windows Server Migration Tools.

Cross-subnet migrations using Windows Server Migration Tools is available with Windows Server and later releases. Previous versions of Windows Server Migration Tools only support migrations in the same subnet. Skip to main content. The biggest reason to stick with the bit version is that you might have difficulty finding bit drivers for legacy hardware. There is no bit version of Windows R2. You can run bit applications, but bit support is not installed by default.

Make a list of the applications that will need to be updated and remember that users will need training on both the new operating system and the new applications. On the server side, Exchange or will run on Windows Server , but Exchange requires Windows To reduce the impact on the enterprise, you might want to install new servers along with the new server applications, and then migrate users and their data from the old server to the new.

When upgrading desktop systems, you have two choices: Install the new OS in an existing system, or start fresh with new hardware. The same is true of servers put in service when Windows Server was new.

Upgrading in place enables you to transfer user settings, application settings, and more from the old hardware to the new using the Windows migration tool or aftermarket tools. You can avoid acquiring new desktop hardware by deploying virtual desktop infrastructure VDI. Set up a server application that runs virtual iterations of both Windows 7 and Windows XP desktops, and your users will use their existing Windows XP machines to access these environments.

This will help them transition to Windows 7 while ensuring continued access to their familiar Windows XP desktops and legacy applications. VDI will require server and networking infrastructure that will likely offset the savings realized by retaining your old desktop hardware. In the long run, however, VDI will simplify desktop management, and your users will experience an easier transition. Migration tools can ease the pain of a mass upgrade by transferring operating system settings, application settings, and even some applications and drivers from old systems to new ones.

Users can spend dozens of hours setting up their applications just the way they like, updating dictionaries in word processors; recreating macros, templates, and forms; and so on. The cost of such tools could be offset by avoiding such productivity loss. Find all the latest news and announcements from the showroom floor at CES IT World Canada creates daily news content, produces a daily newsletter and features IT professionals who blog on topics of industry interest.

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