Flexible Swing Solutions

Advantages

Advantages To The Professional:

  • Produce a clean server offsite, no loss of the Active Directory contents
  • Same Domain Name, Server Name, Hardware Replacement is Optional
  • Includes Option to move the Exchange Information Store Intact
  • Exchange Server runs continuously, as little as 1 hr down-time
  • Zero out desktop profile change issues entirely, they don’t occur.
  • Do the upgrade in hours or weeks if you want – It’s an open timeline
  • Complete the entire server preparation in advance, including 3 rd party applications before you do data transfer. Test it for days if you want.
  • Perform upgrades on weekdays and take weekends off.
  • Perform more than one customer upgrade per week, even one every day.
  • Work efficiently, undistracted, offsite from the customer, take your time.
  • Optimize time use and maximize progress per hour of effort invested.
  • Potentially no production risk introduced by the migration process, no major modifications to the production server, no special disaster recovery prep
  • Have “nothing to do” for an Undo.

Advantages to the business owners:

  • Save money because the upgrade project is simpler, more predictable
  • Have minimal business downtime, as little as 1-3 hrs., not a weekend, not a day.
  • Have the confidence of an operational server running at all times in the process.
  • Get Business Productivity without Snags! Put an end to confusing user desktop changes with server updates. It saves money, ends the surprises, makes this transparent the staff, so there’s less disruption or retraining issues.
  • Have "nothing to do" for an Undo.

Typical Baseline

Typical Swing Process

Domain Swing

  • One or more DCs handled

Exchange Store (Options) 

  • Forklift
  • Exmerge
  • Mailbox Move if needed
Typical Criteria
  • Upgrading from original SBS 2000/2003 server to SBS 2003
  • New Server Hardware Introducing (to replace old server hardware)
  • Keep same server name, same domain name, same LAN IP
  • Retain Active Director: all Users, Groups, Computers, Group Policies
  • Any other DCs or Exchange Servers as DCs are deleted and reintroduced or can be maintained as member servers
  • No impact upon workstations, member servers
  • Construction work proceeds offline in 90% of the construction

Project Scope Variations

Same Server
Hardware
  • Typical Scenario: New Hardware Introduced
  • Alternate Scenario: Server Hardware Unchanged, Redeployed
Name and Identity
Variations
  • Rename: Server name
  • Rename: Domain name(not recommended, hasn’t been tested)
  • Rename: Exchange Organization
  • Change Server LAN IP
  • Change/add multiple Internet Domain Name & related Email addresses
Multi-Server
Variations
  • Member Servers (non-critical roles)
  • Handling Additional Existing DCs
  • Multiple Exchange Servers
  • Member Servers (critical roles)
Supported Platform
Scenarios
  • Windows Server Platforms
  • Exchange Server Platforms
  • Existing Domain Level
  • NT BDCs in AD Domain
Special Exchange
Scenarios
  • Pre-Migration Conditions
  • Post-Transition Conditions

Project Scope Variations

Hardware replacement Same or new hardware for final server is addressed
Virtual Server Physical or Virtual Server compatible construction path
X64 Platforms Transition from x32 to x64 platforms is addressed
Multi-server Consolidation to single or single to multi server expansion can be addressed
Windows Server Platforms Any release applies (OEM, Standard, Enterprise)
SBS Platforms May be Standard or Premium Edition on either endpoint, and even that may be changed as part of the project scope
Media Types Full Package Product, OEM, Open License, or "SBS Upgrade" retail media may be used in all cases

Exchange 2007 can be addressed in the project, but you must meet the unique product requirements to license and deploy it. Due to change in database format, you cannot Forklift an earlier version of Exchange Information Store to an Exchange 2007 server.