I figured this would be the best place to put this post, so here goes.
I am working with a firm to upgrade one of their client's server room. The plan is to take 8 tower servers and consolidate them into 2 HP DL360 G6s and then 1 HP MSA 2312 for storage. To complete this we need to move 2 app servers, 1 file server, 2 domain controllers (that also run DNS WINS etc) an exchange server, a terminal server and a MS navision server all from their individual boxes to the two new servers. It should be fairly easy as we are running hyper V on the HP proliants and will do 4 VMs on each to balance the load.
Now here comes the question. The plan is to add the new domain controllers into their current windows 2000 domain just to get them synced and up to speed. Then put exchange 2007 on one of the VMs and migrate all the mailboxes from the current 2003 exchange. Once this is finished we upgrade the AD from 2000 to 2008 and call it a day. The aim is to do this over the next month and be as invisible to the end users as possible, one day they come in and suddenly they are on exchange 2007 instead of 2003 then another day they come in and are on the new DCs instead of the old ones. If this was your project what would you do differently in the rollout to maximize effectiveness.
HyperV management serves are using Server 2008 Enterprise, and the Guest VMs are using Server 2008 standard if that makes a difference.
I am working with a firm to upgrade one of their client's server room. The plan is to take 8 tower servers and consolidate them into 2 HP DL360 G6s and then 1 HP MSA 2312 for storage. To complete this we need to move 2 app servers, 1 file server, 2 domain controllers (that also run DNS WINS etc) an exchange server, a terminal server and a MS navision server all from their individual boxes to the two new servers. It should be fairly easy as we are running hyper V on the HP proliants and will do 4 VMs on each to balance the load.
Now here comes the question. The plan is to add the new domain controllers into their current windows 2000 domain just to get them synced and up to speed. Then put exchange 2007 on one of the VMs and migrate all the mailboxes from the current 2003 exchange. Once this is finished we upgrade the AD from 2000 to 2008 and call it a day. The aim is to do this over the next month and be as invisible to the end users as possible, one day they come in and suddenly they are on exchange 2007 instead of 2003 then another day they come in and are on the new DCs instead of the old ones. If this was your project what would you do differently in the rollout to maximize effectiveness.
HyperV management serves are using Server 2008 Enterprise, and the Guest VMs are using Server 2008 standard if that makes a difference.