Windows Server Migration Tools 2012 R2 To 2022
Lahoma Helmy
You can update roles and features to later versions of Windows Server by migrating to a new server, or many also support in-place upgrade where you install the new version of Windows Server over the top of the current one. This article contains links to migration guides as well a table with migration and in-place upgrade information to help you decide which method to use.
You can migrate many roles and features by using Windows Server Migration Tools, a feature built in to Windows Server for migrating roles and features, whereas file servers and storage can be migrated using Storage Migration Service.
The migration guides support migrations of specified roles and features from one server to another (not in-place upgrades). Unless otherwise noted in the guides, migrations are supported between physical and virtual computers, and between installation options of Windows Server with either Server with Desktop Experience or Server Core.
Whenever you migrate or upgrade to any version of Windows Server, you should review and understand the support lifecycle policy and time frame for that version and plan accordingly. You can search for the lifecycle information for the particular Windows Server release that you are interested in.
Windows Server Migration Tools enables you to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to servers, including later versions of Windows Server. It is a feature of Windows Server and so it is easily installed using the Add Roles and Features wizard, or PowerShell. Learn more about how to install, use, and remove Windows Server Migration Tools.
Cross-subnet migrations using Windows Server Migration Tools is available with Windows Server 2012 and later releases. Previous versions of Windows Server Migration Tools only support migrations in the same subnet.
Windows Server Migration Tools Installation, Access, and Removal describes how to locate, install, use, and remove Windows Server Migration Tools. Administrators can use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to computers that are running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012.
This topic supports migrations in which the migration destination servers are running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012. For information about how to prepare to use Windows Server Migration Tools for migrations to servers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, see Windows Server Migration Tools Installation, Access, and Removal.
Migrations between physical operating systems and virtual operating systems are supported. Migrations that use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate to Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 support cross-subnet migrations.
Migration from a source server to a destination server that is running an operating system in a different system UI language (that is, the installed language) than the source server is not supported. For example, you cannot use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate roles, operating system settings, data, or shares from a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 in the French system UI language to a computer that is running Windows Server 2012 in the German system UI language.
Roles that are running on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 cannot be migrated, because the Microsoft .NET Framework is not available in the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008.
Follow the steps in this section if you are registering Windows Server Migration Tools on migration source servers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012, and if the source server is running an older release of Windows Server than the migration destination server. For example, if the source server is running Windows Server 2012, but the destination server is running Windows Server 2012 R2. Otherwise, see Install Windows Server Migration Tools.
Install Windows PowerShell by using Server Manager or by running the Server Manager command prompt tool, ServerManagerCmd.exe. For more information about how to add features to the server by using ServerManagerCmd.exe, see Overview of Server Manager Commands in the Windows Server 2008 Server Manager Help.
Windows PowerShell 2.0 and 3.0 are available in a graphically-oriented version, Windows PowerShell ISE. For more information about Windows PowerShell ISE, see Windows PowerShell 3.0 Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE).
Because you might have to restart the server after you install Windows Server Migration Tools, notify users in advance that they might experience downtime while the server operating system loads. To minimize downtime, and reduce its effect on users in your enterprise, install Windows Server Migration Tools during off-peak hours.
This section describes how to install Windows Server Migration Tools on both source and destination servers. If both source and destination computers are running the same operating system on which Windows Server Migration Tools is available for installation (if both servers are running Windows Server 2012 R2, or both servers are running Windows Server 2012), install Windows Server Migration Tools on both computers by following installation steps in either Full installation option of Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 or Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012.
Register Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers that are running older releases of Windows Server than your destination server; that is, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003. For more information, see Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers.
You can also install Windows Server Migration Tools on a full installation of Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager. For more information about how to use the Add Roles and Features Wizard, see Install or uninstall roles, role services, or features.
Windows PowerShell is installed by default on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012. By default, programs on the Server Core installation option run as Administrator, so there is no need to start Windows PowerShell with elevated user rights.
In the Windows PowerShell session, install Windows Server Migration Tools by using the Windows PowerShell Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet for Server Manager. In the Windows PowerShell session, type the following, and then press Enter. Omit the ComputerName parameter if you are installing Windows Server Migration Tools on the local server.
Create deployment folders for source computers by running the smigdeploy.exe tool (included with Windows Server Migration Tools) on your destination server. For more information, see Creating a deployment folder on destination computers.
Register Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers that are running Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003 by using SmigDeploy.exe. For more information, see Registering Windows Server Migration Tools on source computers.
This procedure describes how to create the deployment folder on your destination server that is running Windows Server Migration Tools. After you create the deployment folder, copy it to the local drive of a migration source server that is running an older release of Windows Server; that is, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003.
Open a Command Prompt window with elevated user rights. On the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012, an elevated command prompt is already opened by default. On the full installation option, type cmd on the Start screen, right-click the Command Prompt tile, and then click Run as administrator.
To create a folder to copy to an x64-based computer that is running Windows Server 2012, where Windows Server 2012 R2 is running on the destination server, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
To create a folder to copy to an x64-based computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
To create a folder to copy to an x64-based source computer that is running Windows Server 2008, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
To create a folder to copy to an x64-based source computer that is running Windows Server 2003, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
To create a folder to copy to an x86-based source computer that is running Windows Server 2008, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
To create a folder to copy to an x86-based source computer that is running Windows Server 2003, type the following, in which deployment folder path represents the path of the deployment folder on the source computer, and then press Enter.
Before you can run the Windows Server Migration Tools snap-in for the first time on a source server that is running an older release of Windows Server than your destination server, it must be registered with Windows PowerShell. Use SmigDeploy.exe to register the Windows Server Migration Tools snap-in on a migration source server that is running an older release of Windows Server than your destination server (that is, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003).
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