SBS 2003 Companyweb migration – Part 4

This is Part 4 in a series of migrating SharePoint from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011. Series posts are:

Introduction – Overview

Part 1 – Caveats and Considerations

Part 2 – Preparation steps on v2

Part 3 – Upgrading v2 database to WSS v3

Part 4 – Attaching upgraded database to WSS v3

Part 5 – Check WSSv3 for migration to Foundation 2010

Part 6 – Move database to SBS 2011

Part 7 – Post migration steps and considerations

In this part we are going to attach the migrated databases we attached to SQL to our staging Windows SharePoint Services v3 (WSS v3).

Adding database to WSS v3

Once the old SharePoint v2 databases have been attached to SQL Server the next step is to connect these databases to WSS v3.

Open a DOS prompt on the WSS v3 server via Start | Run | Cmd. Change directory to c:\program files\common files\Microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin and execute the following command to remove the existing WSS v3 database.

stsadm –o deletecontentdb –url http:// -databaseserver -databasename

for example:

stsadm –o deletecontentdb –url http://sharepoint3 -databaseserver VMSBS2003P -databasename WSS_CONTENT

Note, that if you are using the SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE##) that installs with the default standalone installation of WSS v3 you do not need to specify the database server. That is, you should leave out the option –databaseserver

Where http://sharepoint3 is the new WSS v3 created during installation of WSS v3, VMSBS2003P is the name of the WSS v3 Windows Server and WSS_CONTENT is the default name of the WSS v3 content database created during installation of WSS v3. If you have made changes from the default during the installation some of these vales will be different for you.

It is important to remember that this process will remove all the existing content from the WSS v3 site.

You now need to add the migrated SharePoint v2 databases that you have previously attached to SQL Server to the new WSS v3 site. The addcontentdb process will allow you to do this and automatically upgrade your SharePoint v2 data into WSS v3. Execute the following command to add the existing old SharePoint database to the new WSS v3 site.

stsadm –o addcontentdb –url http:// -databaseserver -databasename

for example:

stsadm –o addcontentdb –url http://sharepoint3 -databaseserver VMSBS2003P -databasename STS_VMSBS2003p_1

Note, that if you are using the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (SSEE##) that installs with the default standalone installation of WSS v3 you do not need to specify the database server. That is you should leave out the option –databaseserver

The upgrade process will vary on the size of the content databases and speed of your hardware. Eventually, you should receive a message telling you that the process completed successfully.

Once the process is complete, open the default WSS v3 site (typically just the http://server_name) on the WSS v3 staging server and confirm that the data is present and correct. You should see data from from your SBS 2003 Companyweb but now in a WSS v3 format.

In the next part we’ll commence the process to migrate to SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Need to Know Podcast – Episode 13

The latest episode features Lee Hickin from Microsoft Australia speaking about the upcoming
release of the latest version of Microsoft’s Online offering – Office365 in depth. Lee talks about some of the more technical aspects of the product and what resellers should be doing to prepare.

You can access the podcast directly from:

http://ciaops.podbean.com/2011/01/11/episode-13-lee-hickin/

as well as view all previous episodes at:

http://ciaops.podbean.com

where you can not only subscribe via mediums such as iTunes but also leave comments and ratings on each episode.

If you are interested in, or know a business that is, sponsoring the show please contact me directly (director@ciaops.com). Also if you would like to appear as a guest or would like to hear from someone specifically again contact me (director@ciaops.com). Finally, if you think the show has provided you with value I’d appreciate any donation you’d care to make. All donations go to helping me improve what is offered (http://www.ciaops.com/donation).

SBS 2003 Companyweb migration – Part 3

This is Part 3 in a series of migrating SharePoint from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011. Series posts are:

Introduction – Overview

Part 1 – Caveats and Considerations

Part 2 – Preparation steps on v2

Part 3 – Upgrading v2 database to WSS v3

Part 4 – Attaching upgraded database to WSS v3

Part 5 – Check WSSv3 for migration to Foundation 2010

Part 6 – Move database to SBS 2011

Part 7 – Post migration steps and considerations

In this part we are going to attach the SharePoint v2 databases we copied across from SBS 2003 to the version of SQL that comes with a standard installation of Windows SharePoint Services v3 (WSS v3).

Part of the migration process of Companyweb from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011 involves migrating to WSS v3 (and eventually to SharePoint Foundation 2010). This means you will have to install WSS v3 somewhere as a staging server. I am not to concerned about this here, as long as you have it running with the default setup you will be able to follow along. However, if was me, I’d be using a Virtual Machine of some form as my staging server for WSS v3 but I am not going to cover any of that. I am going to assume that you already have WSS v3 running in a default installation somewhere.

We need to get the Companyweb databases we copied from SBS 2003 attached to the version of SQL on our WSS v3 server. By default, the WSS v3 databases are stored on the system partition (C: drive) of the server and no graphical management tools are installed. It is however possible to manipulate the databases using the command line but a free graphical management tool is available from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c243a5ae-4bd1-4e3d-94b8-5a0f62bf7796&DisplayLang=en

It is strongly recommended that you install this application on your server to make working with the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Embedded Edition (SSEE) easier.

Once the management studio has been installed on the server it can be accessed via Start | All Programs | SQL Server Management Studio Express.

Once the management studio is running you will need to connect to the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Embedded Edition (SSEE). To do so use the following string in the server name field:

\\.\pipe\mssql$microsoft##ssee\sql\query

Once the management console has connected you should see an interface similar to that of other SQL 2005 server installations. The databases are located under the database folder.

By default the location of the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Embedded Edition (SSEE) data on the WSS v3 server will be:

c:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\mssql.2005\mssql\data

and this cannot be changed during the installation process. In many cases, as the data held in the databases grows it may cause problems because typically C: is the Windows system partition.

Unlike Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition the Embedded Edition does not have a limitation on the size of a database, while the non-embedded edition has a maximum database limit of 4GB.

Attaching databases using SQL 2005

Locate the Database folder under the Server name.

Right mouse click the Database folder and select Attach from menu that is displayed.

Press the Add button to locate the SharePoint v2 database that you previously copied.

Navigate to the location on the disk in which you saved the copy of the original SharePoint v2 database. Select the MDF file (here STS_SERVER_1.mdf) and press the OK button.

Check that all the information now displayed is correct and when complete press the OK button to continue.

SQL Server 2005 will now attach the database. You should see the word Executing displayed in the lower left of the screen during this process.

When the process is complete, if you now examine all the databases listed under the Databases folders you should see your SharePoint v2 database (in this case STS_VMSBS2003P_1). Note, that you will also see the WSS v3 database (in this case WSS_content) that was installed during the setup of WSS v3. If you have not already taken note of what the WSS v3 database is you should do it now for later reference.

The next post will cover how to connect this migrated databases to WSS v3.

SBS 2003 Companyweb migration – Part 2

This is Part 2 in a series of migrating SharePoint from SBS 2003 to SBS 2011. Series posts are:

Introduction – Overview

Part 1 – Caveats and Considerations

Part 2 – Preparation steps on v2

Part 3 – Upgrading v2 database to WSS v3

Part 4 – Attaching upgraded database to WSS v3

Part 5 – Check WSSv3 for migration to Foundation 2010

Part 6 – Move database to SBS 2011

Part 7 – Post migration steps and considerations

I am going to assume that you have done your backups and updates on the source SBS 2003 server.

Pre-requisite

If you have enabled full text search on SBS 2003 Companyweb (by migrating the databases to the full version of SQL from MSDE) you will firstly need to disable prior to the migration.

Disabling Full Text Search SBS 2003

The easiest way to tell whether full text indexing has been enabled on WSS v2 is simply to view the WSS v2 site. To do this, simply open a web browser and type http://companyweb into the address. If full text indexing has indeed been enabled you will see the search box in the top right of the window.

Full text indexing on WSS v2 needs to be disabled prior to any migration.

To disable full text indexing on WSS v2 logon to the SBS 2003 server as an administrator and select Start | Administrative Tools | SharePoint Central Administration.

When the Central Administration site appears scroll down to the bottom of the screen.

Under the Component Configuration section select the Configure full-text search link.

You should now see a check box indicating that full-text search is enabled. Simply uncheck this box.

And press the OK button to save the new configuration.

After pressing OK the system will now process you changes and return you to the Central Administration site.

You can now proceed with the WSS v2 migration.

1. Ensure that http://companyweb is operational.

2. Download the prescan.exe utility from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=e8a00b1f-6f45-42cd-8e56-e62c20feb2f1&displaylang=en&tm

and copy it to your SBS 2003 server.

3. Open a command prompt on the console and run prescan.exe like so:

At the command prompt type prescan /all and press Enter. The scanning tool will examine the existing SharePoint v2 databases and report if there are any issues that may arise when you attempt to migrate. When the process is successful close the DOS prompt. Note, that running prescan does not in any way affect the existing SharePoint v2 database operations, it does however make a minor change to the databases that is required prior to any migration. Thus, you need to run this prescan tool for the migration to succeed. So beware that a small change is made to the databases but this shouldn’t affect their operation in any way.

If there issues they will need to be addressed and resolved before you continue with the migration.

3. The next step is to stop the SharePoint v2 database service so that the existing databases can be copied to a new location. To do this go Start | Administrative Tools | Services.

Locate the service named MSSQL$SBSSHAREPOINT, right mouse click on the service and select Stop from the list that appears.

When this process is complete you should see nothing in the Status column for that service, this indicates that the service is not running. Close the Services window.

4. You now need to locate the original SharePoint v2 databases. Normally these will be located in :\program files\microsoft sql\server\MSSQL$SHAREPOINT. Typically, the files will be named STS__1.mdf and STS__1.log.LDF (in this case STS_VMSBS2003P_1).

Right mouse click on both of these files and select Copy from the menu that appears.

Move to the location where you wish the new databases to be located (on a WSS v3 server typically) and paste the files into that directory.

Once the databases have been copied they need to be attached to the SQL server associated with your installation of WSS v3. I’ll cover this in the next part of the series.

You can now restart the service named MSSQL$SBSSHAREPOINT on the SBS 2003 server so that Companyweb continues to operate. Remember though, if you make changes to the version of Companyweb on the SBS 2003 server AFTER you have copied the databases you’ll need to re-migrate to incorporate these changes.

This will be the last we’ll need from the SBS 2003 server.