ConfigMgr SCCM Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

Let’s have a look at the SCCM Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide. Moving SCCM/ConfigMgr server from one hardware to another is a common scenario in the enterprise world.

There could be several reasons for this kind of SCCM/ConfigMgr server hardware migration. Server OS upgrade is one of the most common scenarios. Yes, SCCM CB 1606 and later versions support the in-place upgrade of server OS. However, I’ve seen that most of our server teams don’t want to perform a place OS upgrade.  

SCCM ConfigMgr 2012 to CB Current Branch Upgrade Unofficial Checklist here

Migration process into 5 phases

I have completed similar kinds of migration activities many times in my career. It’s very important to follow these steps when we need to perform migration or server hardware changes to your SCCM server.

Patch My PC

I’m not covering SQL migration in this post. In this scenario, SQL is on the remote box. If the SQL is on the same box then things will be a bit easier. I’ve divided the migration process into 5 phases:-

  1. Pre SCCM Migration Activities
  2. Start of SCCM Migration Activities – Downtime starts from here
  3. SCCM Installation activities on the new server
  4. SCCM/ConfigMgr Recovery/Restore activities
  5. Post SCCM/ConfigMgr Repair/Recovery activities
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

Pre SCCM Migration Activities

  • Create new servers with new names – check whether the SCCM version which you are going to install supports the OS version of the servers
  • Make sure new servers are created in the same VLAN – This will make life much easier
  • Make sure the Drive letters of newly provisioned servers are the same as existing servers
  • Request for storage extension if you want to keep 3 or 4 copies of SCCM full backup on the new server
  • Document the SMS Groups and security settings of existing servers and configurations of the SCCM console
  • SCCM Site backup and store remotely (confirm success) – Probably a day before the actual migration schedule
  • 4 to 5 days before actual SCCM server migration, replicate all the Data SCCM Package folders, drivers, etc (all data except those are NOT covered as part of SCCM Full backup) to the Newly provisioned server
  • Make sure the copy of SCCM source files and pre-requisites are already copied to new SCCM servers
  • Perform differential copy of Data SCCM Package folders, drivers, etc to Newly provisioned servers (maybe couple of hours before depending on the size of data)
  • Document current servers AD membership inc groups OU etc, also current IP information
  • Remove remote site system roles like SUP/RP. Make sure site system details have been removed from the SCCM console.
  • Take a couple of extra Site backup copy and store it on the newly provisioned SCCM server
  • Take a Snapshot of existing SCCM servers (include the drive where SCCM is installed)
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

Start of SCCM Migration Activities – Downtime starts from here

  • Remove existing SCCM servers from the domain ensuring you know local admin account details
  • Shutdown existing SCCM servers
  • Rename existing SCCM servers in Vcenter or HyperV to .old
  • Rename the new SCCM server in Vcenter/HyperV to existing SCCM server names
  • Delete existing SCCM servers from AD
  • Take new SCCM/ConfigMgr servers off the domain and reboot ensuring you have local admin account details
  • Log onto new SCCM/ConfigMgr servers using the local admin account
  • Change IPs of new SCCM servers to reflect old SCCM server IP details
  • Change new SCCM servers names to existing SCCM server name and reboot
  • Log on to new SCCM servers as the local admin account
  • Add new SCCM servers to the domain and reboot
  • Verify OU, System Management Access, and AD membership information of new SCCM/ConfigMgr servers. Reboot if you have made any changes above
  • Storage migrate any back end storage in vmware/HyperV to ensure that vmdk files and vmx/VHDX files are named correctly
  • Take a full backup of Remote SQL Database (confirm success)
  • Archive this SQL backup so the old server can be re-instated as a backout plan if the site not working correctly
  • Delete SCCM Databases (SCCM and SUSDB) from the remote SQL server
  • Delete SQL logins for existing SCCM computer objects using SQL management studio
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

SCCM Installation activities on the new server

  • Make sure all security permissions and security groups/computers are added back to the new SCCM servers
  • Install WSUS admin console
  • Install WAIK 2.0 (SCCM 2007) or ADK (SCCM 2012 or CB) depending on the version of SCCM
  • Install all the prerequisites like IIS, Bits, etc…on new servers
  • Install WSUS on the remote WSUS server
  • Install SCCM/ConfigMgr Software on the new SCCM server – Make sure you install exactly the same version of the existing SCCM server. For SCCM CB versions, source files are part of the SCCM Full backup
  • Make sure that everything works fine after the installation of SCCM/ConfigMgr on new servers
  • Take a copy of the SRVACCT folder from the new installation (<Install Path>\Microsoft Configuration Manager\SRVAcct) N.B. this is a hidden folder
  • Re populate the local SMS group memberships as they were (not all site roles may be installed so repeat the task at the end)
  • Take a Snapshot of the servers pre-site recovery
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

SCCM/ConfigMgr Recovery/Restore activities

  • Make sure the servers are restarted
  • Restore/attach databases (SCCM and SUSDB) from backup (use SQL to restore if it is a remote SQL box)
  • Run the SCCM/ConfigMgr site REPAIR wizard. Select the check box “Do not restore database” to skip the DB restoration
  • Make sure you have started the REPAIR wizard with administrator access. Also, provide the exact path of the SCCM full backup folder
  • Stop the SCCM services and copy the previously archived SRVACCCT folder back over
  • Start SCCM services and monitor the sitecomp.log as components re-install
  • Once sitecomp.log is complete perform a site reset to repair file and registry permissions
  • Install SCCM RP
  • Install SCCM SUP on a remote server
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

Post SCCM/ConfigMgr Repair/Recovery activities

  • Make sure all the packages source including classic package and software update packages are restore with the same share names and permissions
  • Repopulate the local security groups on SCCM servers
  • Check the sender.log to make sure that the restores SCCM servers are able to communicate with child primary sites. In some cases we need to delete the addresses from the SCCM console and recreate it
  • Make sure all the accounts with passwords in the SCCM console have been removed and recreated
  • Create a new package/Collection and make sure that the package/collection is getting replicated to downstream servers
  • Start new WSUS Sync and check whether it works fine or not. You may need to wait for hours and hours before completing the WSUS sync
  • Make sure the replication of old packages and OSD related packages are getting replicated Ok or not
ConfigMgr SCCM Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform 1
SCCM ConfigMgr Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform

Restore

  • https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/servers/manage/recover-sites

Author

Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.

16 thoughts on “ConfigMgr SCCM Server Hardware Migration Step by Step Guide to Perform”

  1. HI Anoop

    Do you have a write up in migrating sccm 2012r2 to 1702 .. Currently I have a CAS with 2 primaries with sql 2008 local on the primary with 5 DP’s. All are on server 2008r2 .. I’m very new to Sccm I took over for someone who left . What I want to do is migrate the Sccm 2012r2 to server 2016 Sccm 702 with only one primary site no CAS I am looking for some documentation on how to do this … Thank you so much I love you site I’m trying to learn as much as I can

    Reply
  2. HI Anup

    regarding the above solutions. Our requirements is we have primary with SQl Cluster & 30 secondary connected.
    We need to change the primary hardware ,IP,Host name ( for both Primary & SQL). How we can do that? Will above solutions will work ?

    reg

    Dhananjay

    Reply
  3. Hi Anoop,
    Great details. Are you able to point me in the right direction. My client has SCCM site server with DB locally. SCCM is on CB 1910 but is running on windows 2012 R2. They are looking to upgrade the OS. Would in-place upgrade be the option here?
    If not what are the steps required if they were to migrate SCCM from 2012 R2 to a new 2019 OS?
    Any help is much appreciated.

    Regards,

    Sachin

    Reply
  4. Hi Anoop,

    I had an existing sccm server and we want to mirgrate with the new sccm server. When I am doing the client migration (which change the site code from the current to new sccm) after few days it goes back, we are managing many systems and servers. That I cannot shutdown the current sccm, what should i do to stop the current sccm to re apply again the site code.

    Thank you

    Reply
  5. Hi Anoop,

    Thanks for the writeup. I am prepping to do my first site server migration as we are upgrading to a new server (and OS). SUP/WSUS are located on the current site server.

    Is it best to move this to another server other than the new site server? What is the best option to move SUP and WSUS over? Either way it will be a new OS and a new SQL version so I’m not sure if I can just migrate the existing data or if it would just be better to remove them and start fresh on the new server? Thank you.

    Regards,

    Gregg

    Reply
  6. Anoop, Some good work you put out sir. I am taking an inherited mess where the SQL, WSUS, MECM and DP are all on one partition. I built another system under one VM server with separate drives including SQL, MDF, TempDb and Logs. I am unable to find this Repair Wizard on the existing system. I have to manually export each app and package as the source Hierarchy and migration jobs shows 0 for most of the objects.

    Reply

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