Introducing the SBS 2011 Migration Preparation Tool

[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Justin Crosby from Commercial Technical Support]

One of the major changes for SBS 2011 from SBS 2008 is the inclusion of the Migration Preparation Tool. This tool is designed to prepare your source server and domain to be migrated to SBS 2011. The tool performs two major functions:

  • Scans the health of the existing domain to identify many issues that may prevent a successful migration
  • Prepares the domain for SBS 2011.

You cannot perform a migration mode install without first running this tool on your source domain. Once you run the tool you have 14 days to start the migration. If you wait longer than 14 days you must re-run the tool before migration. We recommend re-running the tool immediately before performing a migration to make sure no new issues have arisen between the time you last ran the tool and the start of the migration.

To prepare the domain for SBS 2011 the tool will complete the following tasks as needed:

  • Raise the domain and forest functional level to Windows Server 2003
  • Use ADPREP to extend Active Directory schema to Server 2008 R2
  • Install hotfix KB943494 to extend SBS co-existence to 21 days (SBS 2003 only)
  • Convert Exchange to Native Mode (SBS 2003 only)

The Migration Preparation Tool will also scan the domain and source servers for errors and misconfigurations that will prevent a successful migration. Some of the things it checks for include:

  • Journal Wrap
  • Domain\Forest Functional Level
  • Services not started
  • Updates missing
  • Broken replication
  • Missing Sysvol Share
  • IPv6 Disabled
  • Etc.

The tool has two severity levels, errors and warnings. Errors must be fixed before continuing, but warnings can be ignored. Please be very careful when you choose to ignore a warning. We recommend fixing all errors and warnings before continuing. Spending a few minutes to fix a warning beats spending hours restoring from backup and performing a migration over.

Tool Installation

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To install the source tool the following prerequisites must be met:

If you do not meet one or more of the prerequisites you will receive an error:

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Once the installation completes you will receive a finish screen as shown below.

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Running the Tool

Once the tool has been installed you can launch it using the shortcut on your desktop. The tool will ask you if you want to update the tool before proceeding. We recommend ALWAYS clicking Download and install updates. This will ensure that you are using the newest version with the most recent health checks. The great thing about this is that we can add new health checks for any new issues discovered over the lifetime of the product.

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Once the updates are complete you will receive the following screen. We highly recommend that all users have a current, verified, and tested backup in place before beginning a migration. You must check I have a backup and am ready to proceed before you can click next.

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Now the tool will prepare your domain for the installation of SBS 2011. Depending on your source domain between 0 and 4 tasks will run at this point. As the tasks complete a green checkmark will appear next to the task. If a task fails it will receive a red check. To figure out why a task failed you can look at the log found in C:\Users\ <UserName> \AppData\Local\Temp\Migration Preparation Logs.

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Next the tool will then start scanning for issues. If the tool detects any errors or warnings you will see a screen similar to the one below. You will have a chance to correct the issue(s) and re-scan. If the fix requires a reboot you will need to run the tool again. You can rerun the tool as many times as needed. Be sure to create a 2nd backup after the fixes have been made.

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If the scan detects no errors you will see the following.

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Clicking next will take you to the final page.

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You can now launch the Answer file generator, review the Migration Guide, and begin your migration.