IT Pro Momentum Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Objectives of the project: We are still running win XP and 2003 server. The great debate we’ve been having is which to upgrade first or at the same time. Coming from the PC side, I’m pushing to do all the desktops first then move to the servers. But, I can see the wisdom of a server first upgrade, which in all likelihood is the direction we are going. Any issue that we have with either our servers or desktops are problems inherent to XP and 2003 server.
Are you piloting or deploying the products: We are currently piloting and working out the particulars of our rollout plan. We plan to start sometime in the late first quarter early second with our rollout and to finish by the end of summer at the latest. Due to the nature of our business, downtime is not an option. So our pilot planning time is longer than most and pretty extensive.
Products used in the project: Currently testing windows 7 and server 2008 R2 at my site. The Exchange, SQL servers are being tested at another site.
Project description: We have had great success. The issues I’ve run into have been few and far between. Although, I will say that the configuration for 2008 server has been quite extensive. I was a little unprepared for how much work I was going to have to put into the initial build. For my testing portion, I have 10 win 7 PC’s and several 2008 severs, a DNS, file and print server and active directory. All are DC’s.
Were the objective stated at the beginning satisfied? Our goals are pretty straight forward. We are to be the test site for the upgrade. If all goes according to plan, then we will talked with developing a rollout plan for all of our site both here in the US and overseas. We are to migrate off XP to win7. Pay special attention to homemade apps and end of life apps. The later are to be tested and if found to not work, then alternatives are to be found. Stay within our ISO goals and maintain quality within the clean rooms. Ease of use amongst our lesser computer literate employees. Also, maintain security among our clean room, shop and warehouse PC’s and servers.
What do you think about the IT Pro Momentum program? We tried to make this as easy as possible on everyone. I’m sure we would have been able to do it without the program, just would have taken longer. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten my TechNet subscription yet, so I’ve had to use the another admins TechNet account to research issues I’ve run into. As for planning, it’s been pretty good. I like having my plan online so I can bring it up in offsite meetings or anywhere I’m not at my desk. The server 2008 TechCenter was probably the most useful for me. I am still fairly new to the admin position and I wasn’t here for the 2003 server upgrade. So, I utilized the TechCenter a lot when doing my server builds. Along with the TechNet forums, it was invaluable for me.