Fresh SBS 2011 Install W/ Same Domain as Old SBS 2003

[Cinder]

We are planning to do a fresh install of Windows SBS 2011 with Premium Add-on to our server. The new install will be on same server as the Windows SBS 2003 we currently have running, but on a different partition (and drive set all together).

We were planning on leaving the partition with SBS 2003 but not setting it as the boot partition. The idea is that in case we don't finish the installation of SBS 2011 over the weekend we would be able to change the booted partition back to SBS 2003.

We will be using the same domain as was on the SBS 2003 installation.

Is there any reason we should not be doing this? I would appreciate the advice.

 

[imagoon]

We are planning to do a fresh install of Windows SBS 2011 with Premium Add-on to our server. The new install will be on same server as the Windows SBS 2003 we currently have running, but on a different partition (and drive set all together).

We were planning on leaving the partition with SBS 2003 but not setting it as the boot partition. The idea is that in case we don't finish the installation of SBS 2011 over the weekend we would be able to change the booted partition back to SBS 2003.

We will be using the same domain as was on the SBS 2003 installation.

Is there any reason we should not be doing this? I would appreciate the advice.

I suspect that could work but the new domain's SID will not match the old domain's SID so you will need to rejoin all the workstations to the new domain. Even though it is the same domain name, it is effectively a brand new domain. All user accounts will need to be recreated and all existing file shares that use domain credentials will need to be repaired and the old account names stripped off. Printers will also need to be rebuilt etc. You will also lose all exchange mail boxes and the like if you use it on the old SBS machine.

I do recall there is a setting in SBS 2003 that will let you join another SBS domain controller to it to transfer the and upgrade the domain if you have another system to install to.

 

[Cinder]

I was planning on the fresh start. I wanted to avoid a migration in this case, the SBS 2003 was installed and configured by another individual and I don't like his config or lack there of so I want to start from scratch and rebuild.

I wear multiple hats and don't get much time allocated to IT so I was never able to correct the problems as they were minor when compared to all of my daily job tasks.

Thanks for the information. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to screw up a file share since the domains will be technically be different.

 

[imagoon]

I was planning on the fresh start. I wanted to avoid a migration in this case, the SBS 2003 was installed and configured by another individual and I don't like his config or lack there of so I want to start from scratch and rebuild.

I wear multiple hats and don't get much time allocated to IT so I was never able to correct the problems as they were minor when compared to all of my daily job tasks.

Thanks for the information. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to screw up a file share since the domains will be technically be different.

It depends on what you define as screwed up. Most likely you will be rebuilding them from scratch since the domain accounts no longer exists. Any and all permissions will be lost etc.

 

[arch113]

May want to backup user profiles, since you have to rejoin the domain, it will create a new profile for each user on the workstation (the old profile\file will still be there, it will not be overwritten).

 

[drebo]

Yeah...NTFS permissions will remain, but they'll be unusable. They'll show up in the Security tab as a SID instead of the user. And, since the new users will have new SIDs, you have to redo all of your security anyway.

I'm not really seeing the benefit to doing the upgrade in this manner. It'll be a LOT more work, depending on how many users you have.

Honestly, I've been stearing my SBS customers away from it. Standard edition w/ hosted exchange is much easier to maintain, especially if they don't have dedicated IT staff. On-prem Exchange isn't exactly simple to maintain.

 

[Cinder]

Drebo, I agree with you about exchange. I only have about 15 users and no exchange server on site. I don't have the time to manage it myself and no one at this company is capable of doing so either. Its not worth paying a new hire specifically to manage an on site exchange server, so I just pay for hosted exchange off site.

Our main purpose for upgrading is b/c we are upgrading our ERP/MRP software and SBS2003 is no longer supported.

In regards to the fresh install, our old GPO was garbage and the user templates were basically default. This is what I meant by "lack there of" when referring to the previous configuration. The previous person didn't really configure a single thing beyond default settings. There was no real planning involved when he installed the first server. I am basically redesigning the entire directory structure, user templates, GPO and shares based on departmental needs whether or not I fresh install or backup/migrate. Just makes most since to me to fresh install if I have to do all the work anyways. The old server was missing a ton of updates as well (nearly 200). Would you agree that a fresh install is still a better path in this case?

 

[imagoon]

I personally would migrate myself just to keep the SID's consistent even if I didn't plan to keep the GPO. It would allow the shares and everything else to work during the transition so I wouldn't be forced to "get it working" all over a weekend and have potential downtime the wek after. SBS has a registry setting that allows you a 4 month grace period just for this purpose.

 

[drebo]

Drebo, I agree with you about exchange. I only have about 15 users and no exchange server on site. I don't have the time to manage it myself and no one at this company is capable of doing so either. Its not worth paying a new hire specifically to manage an on site exchange server, so I just pay for hosted exchange off site.

Our main purpose for upgrading is b/c we are upgrading our ERP/MRP software and SBS2003 is no longer supported.

In regards to the fresh install, our old GPO was garbage and the user templates were basically default. This is what I meant by "lack there of" when referring to the previous configuration. The previous person didn't really configure a single thing beyond default settings. There was no real planning involved when he installed the first server. I am basically redesigning the entire directory structure, user templates, GPO and shares based on departmental needs whether or not I fresh install or backup/migrate. Just makes most since to me to fresh install if I have to do all the work anyways. The old server was missing a ton of updates as well (nearly 200). Would you agree that a fresh install is still a better path in this case?

If you're not using on-prem Exchange, why waste the money on SBS? It's much more expensive than Standard + CALs, and WAY more expensive than Essentials.

For 15 users, grab Server 2012 Essentials.

Also, a lack of group policy is a lot easier to repair than too much group policy. Going from "nothing" to "nothing" isn't worth the effort of having to recreate all user accounts, redo all security, rejoin all workstations, and migrate all user profiles.

 

[Cinder]

I'm starting to agree with you. I completely forgot that I am going to have to go computer by computer to rejoin the network as well since the SID will be different even though the domain name remains the same. Migrating alone would save the time from having to do that too.

Yeah, my purchasing agent might have made a mistake on buying SBS 2011 with premium add-on. They just read what the ERP/MRP software company recommended and pulled the trigger. Its a sunk cost now.

**EDIT** Looks like we bought SBS 2011 before WS 2012 Essentials was even released. We have been sitting on it that long.