Experience with upgrading from 2003 to 2008 vs. clean install

Hi,

I've read a lot of good and helpful information here about issues and best
practices when upgrading from Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2008 Server.
Currently we have 5 Windows 2003 Domain Controllers and im ready to start
migrating them.

How has your experience been with upgrading versus performing a clean
install, aside from the usual Software or Hardware incompatibilities. Any
reluctances? Active Directory, Group Policy issues? Should I anticipate any
issue's with having 2003 and 2008 servers coexisting with each other during
the process?

All of our workstations are Windows XP SP2 machines if that matters.

Thank you!

Steve

Hello Steve,

It is fully supported to do an inplace upgrade. So that wan't be a problem
and will work. For additional software you have to make sure with the vendor
that they support it. Personally i prefer to add a fresh installed 2008 to
the domain and move the FSMO roles to it, make it GC and DNS etc. So you
can be sure that no old "rubbish" is on the server. AD and ofcourse all related
functions will work with an upgraded 2003 machine.

You can run the different OS versions without any problem together. The only
disadvantage is that you can not use the new Forest/Domain functional levels
until you kick out all older OS DC's.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm


> Hi,
>
> I've read a lot of good and helpful information here about issues and
> best practices when upgrading from Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2008
> Server. Currently we have 5 Windows 2003 Domain Controllers and im
> ready to start migrating them.
>
> How has your experience been with upgrading versus performing a clean
> install, aside from the usual Software or Hardware incompatibilities.
> Any reluctances? Active Directory, Group Policy issues? Should I
> anticipate any issue's with having 2003 and 2008 servers coexisting
> with each other during the process?
>
> All of our workstations are Windows XP SP2 machines if that matters.
>
> Thank you!
>
> Steve
>

Thank you for the input Meinolf. I also prefer just to do a fresh install
which we are going to do with a couple of the servers but were undecided on
the rest.

At this point im still researching the printer migration since one of the
domain controllers is also a print server. Sounds like there are some issue
with incompatible printers being deleted during the upgrade process. Did you
encounter any issues in regards to the printers?





"Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:. com...
> Hello Steve,
>
> It is fully supported to do an inplace upgrade. So that wan't be a problem
> and will work. For additional software you have to make sure with the
> vendor that they support it. Personally i prefer to add a fresh installed
> 2008 to the domain and move the FSMO roles to it, make it GC and DNS etc.
> So you can be sure that no old "rubbish" is on the server. AD and ofcourse
> all related functions will work with an upgraded 2003 machine.
>
> You can run the different OS versions without any problem together. The
> only disadvantage is that you can not use the new Forest/Domain functional
> levels until you kick out all older OS DC's.
>
> Best regards
>
> Meinolf Weber
> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
> confers no rights.
> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've read a lot of good and helpful information here about issues and
>> best practices when upgrading from Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2008
>> Server. Currently we have 5 Windows 2003 Domain Controllers and im
>> ready to start migrating them.
>>
>> How has your experience been with upgrading versus performing a clean
>> install, aside from the usual Software or Hardware incompatibilities.
>> Any reluctances? Active Directory, Group Policy issues? Should I
>> anticipate any issue's with having 2003 and 2008 servers coexisting
>> with each other during the process?
>>
>> All of our workstations are Windows XP SP2 machines if that matters.
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> Steve
>>
>
>

Hello Steve,

See here about migrating printers to 2008, just an inplace upgrade with printers
i would not suggest.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;938923

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc722360.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc534978.aspx

http://trycatch.be/blogs/roggenk/arc...olidation.aspx

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm


> Thank you for the input Meinolf. I also prefer just to do a fresh
> install which we are going to do with a couple of the servers but were
> undecided on the rest.
>
> At this point im still researching the printer migration since one of
> the domain controllers is also a print server. Sounds like there are
> some issue with incompatible printers being deleted during the upgrade
> process. Did you encounter any issues in regards to the printers?
>
> "Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
> news:. com...
>
>> Hello Steve,
>>
>> It is fully supported to do an inplace upgrade. So that wan't be a
>> problem and will work. For additional software you have to make sure
>> with the vendor that they support it. Personally i prefer to add a
>> fresh installed 2008 to the domain and move the FSMO roles to it,
>> make it GC and DNS etc. So you can be sure that no old "rubbish" is
>> on the server. AD and ofcourse all related functions will work with
>> an upgraded 2003 machine.
>>
>> You can run the different OS versions without any problem together.
>> The only disadvantage is that you can not use the new Forest/Domain
>> functional levels until you kick out all older OS DC's.
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Meinolf Weber
>> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
>> confers no rights.
>> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
>> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I've read a lot of good and helpful information here about issues
>>> and best practices when upgrading from Windows 2003 Server to
>>> Windows 2008 Server. Currently we have 5 Windows 2003 Domain
>>> Controllers and im ready to start migrating them.
>>>
>>> How has your experience been with upgrading versus performing a
>>> clean install, aside from the usual Software or Hardware
>>> incompatibilities. Any reluctances? Active Directory, Group Policy
>>> issues? Should I anticipate any issue's with having 2003 and 2008
>>> servers coexisting with each other during the process?
>>>
>>> All of our workstations are Windows XP SP2 machines if that matters.
>>>
>>> Thank you!
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>

Awesome!

Thank you so much for the links!


"Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:. com...
> Hello Steve,
>
> See here about migrating printers to 2008, just an inplace upgrade with
> printers i would not suggest.
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;938923
>
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc722360.aspx
>
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc534978.aspx
>
> http://trycatch.be/blogs/roggenk/arc...olidation.aspx
>
> Best regards
>
> Meinolf Weber
> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
> confers no rights.
> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
>
>> Thank you for the input Meinolf. I also prefer just to do a fresh
>> install which we are going to do with a couple of the servers but were
>> undecided on the rest.
>>
>> At this point im still researching the printer migration since one of
>> the domain controllers is also a print server. Sounds like there are
>> some issue with incompatible printers being deleted during the upgrade
>> process. Did you encounter any issues in regards to the printers?
>>
>> "Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message
>> news:. com...
>>
>>> Hello Steve,
>>>
>>> It is fully supported to do an inplace upgrade. So that wan't be a
>>> problem and will work. For additional software you have to make sure
>>> with the vendor that they support it. Personally i prefer to add a
>>> fresh installed 2008 to the domain and move the FSMO roles to it,
>>> make it GC and DNS etc. So you can be sure that no old "rubbish" is
>>> on the server. AD and ofcourse all related functions will work with
>>> an upgraded 2003 machine.
>>>
>>> You can run the different OS versions without any problem together.
>>> The only disadvantage is that you can not use the new Forest/Domain
>>> functional levels until you kick out all older OS DC's.
>>>
>>> Best regards
>>>
>>> Meinolf Weber
>>> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
>>> confers no rights.
>>> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
>>> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I've read a lot of good and helpful information here about issues
>>>> and best practices when upgrading from Windows 2003 Server to
>>>> Windows 2008 Server. Currently we have 5 Windows 2003 Domain
>>>> Controllers and im ready to start migrating them.
>>>>
>>>> How has your experience been with upgrading versus performing a
>>>> clean install, aside from the usual Software or Hardware
>>>> incompatibilities. Any reluctances? Active Directory, Group Policy
>>>> issues? Should I anticipate any issue's with having 2003 and 2008
>>>> servers coexisting with each other during the process?
>>>>
>>>> All of our workstations are Windows XP SP2 machines if that matters.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you!
>>>>
>>>> Steve
>>>>
>
>