Hard Drive Imaging?

Question

I am currently running a small network off a Windows 2003 server and need to clone the server so that I can set up a secondary server prior to taking down the primary server. Now the secondary server has completely different hardware and I need to be able to image the primary server to the secondary server and vice versa if the need arises. The image has to account for all existing applications, Active Directory, etc.

I have looked at a number of solutions from Acronis, Paragon, etc however since I am on a budget I am looking for an alternative solution.

Answer 1

I always advice on the BDC to be same or near enough to the PDC, just for this purpose of cloning, the HAL wont move to new server easily, there are solutions, but not cheap.

Acronis is one and Symantec just released their product that calimed to do this, but like most Symantec crap I come across over the years (paid with lots of $$$ too), I wont even waste my time testing this one.

You can clone to a image on a tiny budget, the problem is how on earth you going to restore on the second server with different hardware, thats why Acronis charges a fortune for them, saying that, works a dream, failure rate on Acronis is minimal, but support sucks.

If you value your business, I would advice not to penny-pinch, as when things go wrong, it could save you thousands,, not to mention about lost time

Answer 2

Microsoft ImageX. Acronis, and all the other imaging programs that I know about, will have a problem with the different hardware.

Another option is to put a second drive into the primary server, and use Windows 2003 to make a "mirror" (RAID 1) Then pull the second drive and use it to boot the second server. There will be some problems with the new hardware, but nothing worse than if you add a new card to a PC. (e.g. you will get all the stupid "Windows found new hardware" messages at the first boot.)

Answer 3

I have used xxclone to clone a hard drive and make it bootable on the same PC - but of course the hard ware is the same so it worked.

I'm not sure how you expect to clone a disk and put it into a different machine and expect it to work.

The only thing that didn't work after the cloning was System Restore but otherwise everything else was OK. I had to do a few tweaks to get System Restore to work and it is now OK.

Answer 4

I take it you're keen to pay for the finished version. Like paying for a vehicle, i might opt to do a attempt force first, a minimum of to get the feel for the adjustments interior the procedures they paintings, and what they are in a position to get better. lively@records restoration. This , even interior the demo mode, became in a position to discover records from greater beneficial than 4 formats and 18 long-lost partitions in the past on a shoppers trashed no longer ordinary force. It additionally makes it possible for the saving of a uncooked records image, to a various or a detachable force, so as which you will paintings from it, without the terror of destroying further records on the unique force.Can get better lost partitions, too. A can-do type application for many situations. R-studio records restoration. the only freeware demo that facilitates you to rebuild raid and scsi gadgets that i understand of, and can create the two uncooked, or literal bit by utilising bit photographs of the drives or arrays to paintings from, to guard the unique, and enable you to to keep them to detachable media. A powerhouse, even interior the freeware version, however the controls are complicated and a number of, taking time to get intimate with. 0 assumptions restoration. it is in all risk your all around suited guess. No regulations on recoveries, different than 4 "roots" at a time, the roots being the seats of previous and up to date residing house windows installs. you have the capacity to specify the place you opt to get better each and every root, and the place it is going to be recovered to. (i became in a position to tug up a shoppers previous aol account from while he had 'ninety 5 on a fat-12 disk with a 1gb partition, buried below a ninety 8 installation on a fat32 format, which were upgraded to 2000 on an ntfs partition!) ordinary, efficient, and transportable, this one is the suited freebie, arms up !!!

Answer 5

You can try the program called "Perfect Image Professional",
from V-COM/Avanquest Corp.! See all its features, here:
http://vcom.avanquest.com/cat/prod.php?pid=2567

Please also take a look at these two articles ("Which Disk
Imaging Backup software is the best?"), available here:
http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2005/20050322_the_results_are_in_which_disk_imaging_backup_software_is_best.htm
and here:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=5&threadID=199452&start=0

Answer 6

i have used Norton ghost and has worked beautifully, but It was on a personal computer.