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First off, I an not a server admin. I am just a volunteer that knows a little bit more about servers than anyone else. That said ...
We have an ancient Dell server running Server 2008 R2. It is our domain and file server, DNS and DHCP, and nothing else as far as I know. We have a newer Dell server running Server 2016. How do I migrate the DC and file serving to the newer server? A person at my church that knows a bit about servers started the process (bought the server and installed Server 2016) and moved on before going any further.
Is finishing this migration something I can learn without too much problem, or would it be better to spend some $$ that we don't have to hire someone?
If the former, I'm doing this work after I get off the regular 40-hour job. What recommendations on how to learn do you have? If hiring someone, any recommendations in the Seattle, Washington area that won't break the bank?
Thank you.
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The prerequisite before introducing the first 2016 domain controller: domain functional level needs to be 2003 or higher
I'd use dcdiag / repadmin tools to verify health correcting all errors found before starting any operations. Then stand up the new 2016, patch it fully, license it, join existing domain, add active directory domain services, promote it also making it a GC (recommended), transfer FSMO roles over (optional), transfer pdc emulator role (optional), use dcdiag / repadmin tools to again verify health, when all is good you can decommission / demote old one.
Optional but recommended is migrating sysvol replication from older FRS technology to DFSR (if not already)
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Storage-at-Microsoft/Streamlined-Migration-of-FRS-to-DFSR-SYSVOL/ba-p/425405
The file server could be migrated using the storage migration service.
https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/storage-migration-service/migrate-data
that being said, it isn't recommended to run other roles on a domain controller. One option may be to install the new 2016, add the hyper-v roles (as only role on host, then stand up two virtual machines, one for active directory domain services and other as application server.
The DHCP scopes could be exported, then imported on new server.
https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/powershell/module/dhcpserver/export-dhcpserver?view=windowsserver2022-ps
https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/powershell/module/dhcpserver/import-dhcpserver?view=windowsserver2022-ps
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Just checking if there's any progress or updates?
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Hello there,
If you are planning to get your hands on this job then the recommendation would be to learn the basic terminologies in the migration services before jumping in .
This topic discusses how to migrate a Windows server, a Windows Failover Cluster, a Samba server, or a NetApp FAS array, including their files and configuration, to another Windows server or Windows Failover Cluster by using Storage Migration Service and Windows Admin Center. Migrating takes three steps once you've installed the service and opened any necessary firewall ports: inventory your servers, transfer data, and cut over to the new servers.
Use Storage Migration Service to migrate a server https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/storage-migration-service/migrate-data
This article provides background information about Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server and explains the process for upgrading domain controllers (DCs) from an earlier version of Windows Server.
Upgrade domain controllers to a newer version of Windows Server https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/deploy/upgrade-domain-controllers
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