Would this work - WNT 4.0 Server

Gaz1988

Gaz1988

Gaz1988

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Hello all,

I've been put in charge or migrating data from an old Windows NT 4.0 server to our new file server in the office.

I've already tried the likes of Acronis/Norton Ghost etc which have all failed to make a good image of the data.

I was thinking of using NTBackup on a windows XP machine for example to backup the data and then restore it on the new server. I would set up the data drive on the NT 4 server as a share and then map it on the windows xp machine as network drive.

The windows NT machine is around 11 years old and therefore on its last legs.

Thanks.
 
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If it's just flat files can you not map to the new server and just copy it?

Or just copy it to the XP machine then back to the W2003 machine? Not the most elegant of solutions but certainly the easiest.



M.
 
NTbackup would probably be my personal choice, especially if its on the same domain as it would keep all the permissions.

But as the others said, just cut+paste across the network?

Hell... if its an ide or normal scsi (not raid) then chuck the disk in the new server and copy it that way, muuuuuuuch quicker.
 
Robocopy would do it the best IMO as you can set flags to keep permissions and file hierarchy intact along with the folder structure etc.
 
You can also run it as a script to jsut copy modified files, so you can be copying during the day and tbe bang up to date when you come to switch it over
 
Forgot to mention that some of the data is locked (being used by applications) so will need the volume shadow copy service to backup, hence the reaseon suggesting NTBackup on a windows XP machine as I dont think WNT4.0 has it.
 
Would it not make sense to come in on a weekend and do it out of hours? It seems a live migration of an old operating system is getting even riskier :)

Get a new system in, setup etc in parrallel then at the weekend just robocopy your data only across and fire it up and "fingers crossed" should be working for you.
 
Also, i'm not sure of the upgrade paths (i dread to think) but there is a piece of software called Macrium Reflect which allows you to work with BartPE and a network drive to copy the entire disk (inc. MBR etc) from one system to another. You can then go about upgrading etc using the Windows paths.
 
We use an application called Secure Copy - it handles the locks, can be scheduled to do differential copies, copies permissions, shares, etc, etc. Not cheap but worth every penny.
 
I've recently performed a few file server migrations (not with NT but the process *should* be the same). Depending on you're existing kit it may or may not help, also it's only designed to work if you old NT server is just a file server.

I use the backup software on the new file server (Symantec BE) to backup the data on the old file server to tape using remote agents, then I restore it to the new server which by default keeps the file and folder permissions in tact.
I then export the regsitry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\Shares form the old server which lists all the shares it has and copy the exported file to the new server.
Rename the old server with a tempoary name and give it a different IP Address.
Rename the new server to what the old server was called and assign the same IP address which the old server had, then import the registry key you exported previously.

You may not have the kit available to do the above, and the instrcutions are in brief, but if you have I've used this process several times and it works well.
 
Gaz1988 said:
Forgot to mention that some of the data is locked (being used by applications) so will need the volume shadow copy service to backup, hence the reaseon suggesting NTBackup on a windows XP machine as I dont think WNT4.0 has it.
Click to expand...

That wouldn't suddenly magically give NT4 shadow copy functionality.
 
Id go with the out of hours robocopy. Set it to copy only changed files, run it in the week. Then out of hours to get any files that were locked in the week. Job done.
 
xcopy <source> <destination> /D /S /C /I /G /H /K /O /X /Y

Xcopy /? will explain what all the switches do

but /D will do anything which has changed compared to at the destination, so if you run the above command, then shutdown any apps and run again it will only copy the locked files which it skipped before..... simmmpplleesss

if your <source> or <destination> has spaces in it ie "\\server1\shared folder" then you will need to wrap it in ""s
 
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