Date: 09/02/05 (IT Professionals)    Keywords: no keywords

I have a new server I want to move everything on my current server over onto. However, I also want to replace the new server's hard disk with my current server's hard disk (it's bigger and faster).

I have two server licenses. After the new server is up I want to load the old server as a member server using the hard disk taken from the new server.

I have a few questions about the way to go about this because I have backed up servers but never done a live disaster recover procedure.

-What happens if I restore the backup onto a server with almost completely different hardware?

I ask because I don't want the registry being restored over a working copy for the new server using a completely different hardware profile. IE I don't want Windows booting with the old hardware configuration. Will the new and correct hardware info be wiped out when I restore the system state from the old machine? I don't want to install a fresh 2003 server on the new hardware, have the old hardware setting installed in the registry and then find it boots only halfway up because it finds the hard disk is now installed on an ATA adaptor it doesn't have drivers for.

-Won't the old server's hardware hash (for activation) become null if the system state is restored on a machine w/o that hardware? Does this transfer over with the backup restore (I install with the new key/get new hash- gets wiped out by restoring and it uses the old key now)?

-Would it be easier just to get Server 2003 up fresh and rebuild all the server config from scratch?

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/itprofessionals/21033.html