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Merging w/big company, need to dissolve SBS network gradually

Answered Merging w/big company, need to dissolve SBS network gradually

  • Tuesday, November 13, 2012 9:15 PM
     
     
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    I currently have an SBS 2003 SP1 Server with two vanilla Windows 2003 servers. I want to unleash the SBS box so our parent company can set up a trust and migrate mailboxes, accounts, etc. Sharepoint is running on one of the vanilla boxes, so SBS only has mail that I'm worried about.

    My current plan is to buy this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007QLHTK/ref=asc_df_B0007QLHTK2262123?smid=A1ZOIMGNYK4NCB&tag=cnet-software0a-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B0007QLHTK 

    Since we're migrating everything, I don't really think we need to worry about transition CALs, right? My parent company is HUGE so we're already licensed many times over. We just need to move accounts and whatnot without spending a weekend doing it. 

    Does this work? We don't have R2 and I think that product says it's for SBS Standard like we have.

     

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  • Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:30 PM
     
     
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    I'm not getting it.  Why is buying another SBS 2003 license necessary? 

    You can forget any thought of creating a trust involving SBS (any version) to help with the migration; SBS does not support trusts by design.  If you want to keep a separate domain for users who were supported by SBS you need to say to, and you then would need to upgrade the Windows Server environment to the standard product, not SBS.

    On the other hand, is your only concern migration of email and creating Windows accounts for the email users in an existing Windows environment?  I'm making the assumption here that the parent company would like your current mail environment to become part of the overall corporate email.   It might be best to just create new accounts in the gaining Windows forest/domain environment and then handle this as a straight mailbox migration.  If the parent company is as large as you imply, then it's likely they've done this kind of thing before and can weigh in on such things as how best to move mailboxes, public folder migration, corporate mail policy, etc., so that the stuff that was on SBS is migrated to fit into their scheme of how email ought to be structured and managed for the whole enterprise.  I suspect that there's also going to be versioning uplifts involved for both your Windows and Exchange environments since Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003 are both very long in the tooth.

    Can you clarify what the end goal is and then the community might be better able to help assess your plans.

    Regards,

    Chuck

     
  • Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:40 PM
     
     
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    It's a transition pack, isn't it? I want to transition from SBS to unlocked reg. Server 2003 so I can set up a trust. The parent company is 100,000 users but I don't think they've run into SBS much with their acquisitions. 
     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 12:50 AM
     
     
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    Ah, sorry, I'd overlooked that in the description and it's been years, literally.  If the number of users is small (you're only getting 5 CALs with the Transition Pak),  that might be a good transition strategy, depending on the number of users you are moving and how long you intend staying on 2003, that might be the way to go.   If not, then you might want to re-evaluate your options particularly the labor effort and cost involved to see if a more direct approach might be in order.  You didn't say whether 2003 is the goal or if this is a multi-step approach to a more current domain and Exchange environment.

    Regards,

    Chuck

     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 2:51 AM
     
     
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    If the new parent compamy is HUGE just borrow a Windows Server license of them, maybe another one and an Exchange license too.

    Install the new licenses into the SBS domain, 1 as DC the other as a member server, install and move Exchange to the member, remove SBS from the domain.

    At this point the domain is no longer under SBS restrictions. Create a trust between the domains, move everything across.

     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 4:27 PM
     
     
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    It's only 29 users. Can I just apply regular CALs from whatever huge pool they have without doing "Transition CALs" since they're supposed to be cheaper than full CALs anyway? They're still on Exchange 2003 and they're not upgrading Exchange as far as I know.

    We have a lot of remote users all over the country so making this happen smoothly and sort of gradually is for the best for everyone.

    Gumby, I already have two vanilla Windows Servers. Are you saying just install Exchange on one of them and move it? I guess that can be another option but the server load might be heavy.

     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 8:18 PM
     
     
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    You are over complicating this. 

    First the transition pack is no longer sold or supported (and it doesn't work on r2).  Second, its probably going to be faster to just remove people from one domain to the other, but if you REALLY want to transition, just add another server to the domain, demote and remove the SBS server, and create the trust.

    You are going to have to eventually dis-join and re-join the clients anyway.  save yourself the trouble, and jut manually move them.  29 clients is not worth the grief. 

    Jeremy

     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 9:33 PM
     
     
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    Obtaining another server, a copy of Exchange 2003, etc. isn't overcomplicated? In the first post I linked to a copy of the transition pack I can buy on Amazon for SBS 2003 SP1 (not R2).
     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 10:00 PM
     
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    the TP has been 'discontinued', and even before 'discontinuation' was not particularly supported well. (maybe due to its rare need)

    If you have the 'standard licenses' available, even temporarily, I (as in My Personal Opinion) would rather head that route.

     
  • Wednesday, November 14, 2012 10:56 PM
     
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    Obtaining another server, a copy of Exchange 2003, etc. isn't overcomplicated? In the first post I linked to a copy of the transition pack I can buy on Amazon for SBS 2003 SP1 (not R2).

    yes, Installing a new server, installing exchange, updating the server, creating a trust is over complicating it.  Particularly because in the end, you will still have 29 workstations in the old domain. 

    This is one of the few times I would recommend a Nuke and Pave.

    Jeremy