Selecting Upgrade or Migration Path in Visual C#.NET

Drawing QR Code 2d barcode in Visual C#.NET Selecting Upgrade or Migration Path

For many different deployments, upgrading versus migrating is indicated by the deployment goals and contingencies of the existing server and network operating system (NOS) infrastructure.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Inside Out The decision whether to migrate or upgrade depends upon a number of factors. Start by answering the fundamental questions for each server:

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Can the existing hardware support the necessary service and operations load Is it desirable Are there services or applications that are beneficial to maintain in place,

or would you be better off with a new, clean installation and migrating the data When installing Windows Server 2003 domain controllers, you also must determine whether to upgrade or to migrate security principals from the existing domain controllers.

Where it is possible, performing an upgrade has substantial advantages over performing a migration in that it maintains existing server and application configuration settings. Migration, on the other hand, requires that you move security principals from an existing domain controller using Microsoft or third-party migration tools. An upgrade is an in-place installation of Windows Server 2003 on a server running Windows NT or Windows 2000. An upgrade provides operational advantages to a business that must maintain the services that the server is currently providing (without reconfiguration) while updating the operating system software. An upgrade has certain advantages over migration, as follows:

It is done in place, leaving existing servers intact and operational. Existing configuration data are incorporated. Current device and driver settings are leveraged. Configured security settings are maintained.

The following configuration data is maintained during the upgrade process:

User accounts and settings Group settings User rights Permissions Application configuration information

Yet there are limits to the utility of upgrading servers from previous operating systems. Repeated upgrading of servers from Windows NT 4 to Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 can result in the server providing less than optimal performance. Where server performance is important, a new installation will deliver better overall service performance, providing an advantage to migrating instead of upgrading.

Preparing for Upgrades and Migration One downside to upgrading an existing server is the possibility of installation or configuration problems that render the system unusable. This potential downside can be addressed by creating a full backup of the current server (and any data it contains), preferably an imagebased backup that can be readily applied if restoration is necessary.

Although it is important to note the minimum requirements for Windows Server 2003 as described in 2, Planning for Windows Server 2003, rarely do the minimum requirements allow a server to meet the operational demands placed upon it in an enterprise network environment. Consider for a moment that the performance of your servers running Windows Server 2003 will be more important than most of the other systems on your network. These servers are where a significant percentage of your network workload will reside; thus, enhancing the server hardware for Windows Server 2003 installations is a good idea. Particularly if you are planning to upgrade a server that runs Windows NT 4, evaluate the hardware and not only from the perspective of meeting the minimum requirements, but also evaluate how effective/optimal it is for running Windows Server 2003 (and any services it is configured to provide). To help assess server compatibility, do the following:

Review Windows Server Catalog at http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/catalog/server. Review the HCL at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx. Review the \Docs\Relnotes.htm on the product CD. Check application compatibility at http://msdn.microsoft.com/compatibility.

Prior to upgrading servers, review the partitioning and free disk space on drives that you intend to upgrade. The partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003 should be an NTFS partition. If upgrading, the partition must have at least 2 GB of space, though a minimum of 4 GB is recommended. An important caveat on upgrading Windows NT 4 systems is the lack of support for drives configured with Windows NT 4 volume, mirror, or striped sets. To handle Windows NT 4 fault-tolerant configurations, do the following:

If you are using Windows NT 4 disk mirroring, back up all data on the mirrored vol-