SBS 2011 – Error moving Microsoft Sharepoint Foundation data location

If you are in the middle of migrating from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011 and are trying to move the Microsoft Sharepoint Foundation data location on the SBS 2011 server and receive the following error:

“An error occurred while attempting to move the Microsoft Sharepoint Foundation database”

Please check to see that the ports in use on the SBS 2003 server are 80 and 444.  I was just trying to move the location and it kept failing.

After a few searches with no useful information being found, I checked a couple of other SBS 2003 servers that I have access to and saw that the one I was trying to migrate was using port 81 and 444, so I changed the port to 80, stopped and started the website and then tried the move again and this time it completed.

SBS 2003 Physical to SBS 2011 Virtual Migration completed

I have just completed a migration from SBS 2003 as a physical server to SBS 2011 as a Virtual Server running on Microsoft Hyper-V and the entire process went without a hitch.

As usual, the article that I followed was Demazter’s excellent migration article.

I did have some fun working out how to create and load up the SBS migration file needed on the SBS 2011 server to tell the installation that it is a migration, not a clean install. After some head scratching, I created a Virtual Floppy Disk file, loaded it onto an existing Virtual Server, copied the SBS Answer File to the Virtual Floppy Disk, dismounted it, re-configured the SBS 2011 Virtual Server to also load the Virtual Floppy Disk and that was ll that was needed.

Again, the entire process took 3 days – which so far every other migration I have performed has taken. The longest / slowest part is the migration of Exchange Mailboxes and data, but once that is done, the rest is much quicker.

So, if you are wondering if you can migrate to SBS 2011 in a Virtual Server environment, I can happily confirm that it can.

SBS 2003 to SBS 2011 Migration #3 Under Way and Going Well

I’m now mid-way through my 3rd SBS 2003 to SBS 2011 migration and having used the following article for ALL the migrations, have had nothing but success so far.

http://demazter.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/migrate-small-business-server-2003-to-small-business-server-2011/

The current migration and my last migration are both being done on HP ML110 G6 servers, which initially caused a few headaches trying to install SBS 2011 from the DVD onto the internal HDD’s because once I had installed the relevant RAID controller drivers, the installation refused to continue, but this was solved and I wrote about this here:

https://alanhardisty.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/installing-sbs-2011-on-an-hp-proliant-ml110-g6-server-woes-resolved/

The process is very simple, but by far the slowest part of the migration I have come across so far is making sure the SBS 2003 server is patched within an inch of it’s life.

I spent almost 8 hours yesterday installing SBS 2003 SP1, Exchange 2003 SP2 and numerous other patches onto the soon-to-be-retired SBS 2003 server, which didn’t seem to have a processor in the box it was going that slowly.

Today the SBS 2011 install was much quicker and the majority of the migration has been completed, with just the data, shares and user accounts to be moved, then it’s remove Exchange 2003 from the SBS 2003 server and then DCPROMO the box, reboot it and then put it out of it’s misery 🙂

Once that is out of the way – it’s SSL certificate time from http://www.exchange-certificates.com and then the job is complete in the 3 days that I have estimated it will take.

If you are planning your own SBS 2003 to SBS 2011 migration, then Demazter’s guide comes tried and tested by me and I would highly recommend it.

If you are not brave enough to tackle it yourself – then please get in touch and I can help you complete it remotely.

Alan

About Me

I co-own a small independent IT Consultancy called IT Eye Ltd who provide support, consultancy, e-mail hosting solutions & server / workstation / network installations for the SMB (Small and Medium sized Businesses) marketplace.   We provide consultancy / support services to Businesses that are large enough to need IT systems, but that don’t require a full-time member of staff employed to manage their IT systems.  As a result, we are extremely cost effective and can save companies thousands of pounds on their annual IT spend.

We are based in the South-East of England in the Beckenham, Chislehurst & Eltham areas but we regularly travel to London and areas within the M25, sometimes beyond (we used to support a company in Jersey!).   We can also remotely support any computer that is connected to the Internet (we have remotely supported several US based computers and also one on Australia, although I won’t be rushing to repeat that experience as the connection was a little bit on the slow side) and offer fixed price annual support contracts starting from £140 per PC.  You will find me regularly posting on Experts Exchange: http://www.experts-exchange.com/M_4926565.html where I have been active since May 2009.

I have recently migrated an Exchange 2003 Server in Kansas to Exchange 2010 with zero downtime and all done remotely.

If you have a Microsoft server that is in need of an upgrade / migration, then you will be in safe hands.  I have performed numerous SBS / Exchange / Windows migrations, both locally and remotely all around the world.

HIRE ME! I have extensive knowledge of a wide range of Microsoft Products, predominantly Microsoft Exchange and Windows Server products, and can support existing installations, integrate new servers into existing configurations or setup / configure new brand new environments.  You can contact me directly by email at alan @ it-eye.co.uk or you can visit our website at http://www.it-eye.co.uk.