E-guide

Windows Server
2016: Is it time to
make the change?
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Upgrade to Windows
Server 2016 or consider
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Windows Server 2016
networking features
bolster control, security
Windows Server Migration
Tools make file share
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Page 1 of 15
In this e-guide:
With Windows Server 2016 now available, you may be
wondering whether a migration to the new OS is the
best move for your organization. A migration can be
costly, but the upgrades to security and file sharing
procedures may deliver enough ROI to your
organization to warrant a change.
Read this exclusive guide compiled by our expert
editorial team at SearchWindowsServer.com to weigh
your options and determine if the new features are
worth the switch.
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In this e-guide Upgrade to Windows Server 2016 or

consider other options?
Upgrade to Windows
Brien Posey, Microsoft MVP
Server 2016 or consider
other options?
http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/Upgrade-to-
Windows-Server-2016-or-consider-other-options
Windows Server 2016
networking features
While many organizations will undoubtedly make the
bolster control, security
transition to Windows Server 2016, there are a number of factors
that should be considered as part of the decision-making process.
Windows Server Migration
Tools make file share
moves less taxing Windows Server 2016 migration
considerations

The key to determining whether an upgrade to Windows Server

2016 is appropriate for an organization is a thorough analysis
of how much the migration will cost and what the organization
will get for its money. Keep in mind that the costs include more
than just licensing. You'll want to account for any training
expenses, the hours the IT staff spends on the upgrade and any
required hardware purchases.

Page 2 of 15
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Windows Server 2016
networking features
bolster control, security
Windows Server Migration
Tools make file share
moves less taxing
Page 3 of 15
The benefits derived from a Windows Server 2016 migration
vary from one organization to the next. These benefits can range
from replacing a severely outdated OS to leveraging new features,
such as containers. In any case, the benefit must be significant
enough to justify the costs.
As you contemplate the costs and benefits of an upgrade, there
are two things to keep in mind. First, an upgrade does not have
to be an all-or-nothing decision. It is perfectly acceptable to
upgrade some servers, but not others.
The second consideration is that an upgrade might not always be
suitable. Windows Server 2016 may be incompatible with a
particular application an organization uses or one of the
Windows Server features the business relies on may have been
discontinued in Windows Server 2016.
Migrating from older Windows Server
versions
Although most organizations will not have an urgent need to
upgrade to Windows Server 2016, those that are running older
 E-guide
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versions of Windows Server, such as Windows Server 2008 or
Windows Server 2003, should carefully consider the risks
associated with continuing to use these aging OSes. In doing so, it
is important to separate legitimate risks from marketing hype.
Server products have a limited lifespan during which Microsoft
provides support. Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server
2003 R2 reached their end-of-life (EOL) in July 2015.
Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 reached the
end of their mainstream support in January 2015. Extended
support is available until they reach EOL in January 2020.
A server product's EOL does not mean that the operating system
will cease to function on a certain date. Those still running
Windows Server 2003 will tell you that the OS continues to
operate normally, even after Microsoft discontinued support for
it.
Even so, there are two important reasons why it is best to avoid
using an outdated OS. First, when there's a problem, you can't
call Microsoft for help. In such a situation, an organization will
need to try to fix the problem itself or turn to a high-priced
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consultant. Needless to say, using an unsupported product in a
production environment violates long-established best practices.
On a more practical level, no one wants to explain to the boss
that an outage is being prolonged because essential software is no
longer supported.
The second reason why an organization should avoid running
an outdated OS relates to security. Microsoft does not create
security patches for a product once it reaches its EOL. This
means that when security vulnerabilities are discovered,
Microsoft will not provide a patch or any official method for
addressing the vulnerability. As such, organizations that
continue to run the outdated OS are putting themselves at an
extreme risk of being hacked.
Is Windows Server 2016 the best
choice?
As organizations ponder their upgrade roadmap, it is important
to remember that upgrading to Windows Server 2016 is not the
only option. For many organizations, an upgrade to Windows
 E-guide
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Server 2016 will indeed be the best choice. For example, if an
organization is currently running an older version of Windows
Server, transitioning to Windows Server 2016 is likely the
smoothest, least problematic upgrade option. Transitioning from
one version of Windows Server to another involves less of a
learning curve than in migrating to a competing platform, and
Microsoft provides tools and documentation to assist with the
migration process. Even so, other options are available.
One such option is to transition to an open source operating
system. Microsoft has begun offering much broader Linux support
than what was available in the past. Recently, for example,
Microsoft said it will offer a version of SQL Server that runs on
Linux.
Another option is to retire aging application servers and turn to
the cloud. In the software as a service (SaaS) model, application
vendors host their products and handle all of the updating. With
SaaS, however, a business is dependent on the vendor to reliably
provide that software anywhere and at any time. Plus, SaaS
users pay ongoing subscription fees.
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Next article
Windows Server 2016 networking
features bolster control, security
Brien Posey, Microsoft MVP
http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/Windows-Server-
2016-networking-features-bolster-control-security
Windows Server 2016 networking features may not get as much
attention as Docker containers or Nano Server, but admins
should be aware of how new Domain Name System server and IP
address management capabilities can help them gain more
control over the networking environment.
The most significant DNS-related improvement is the release of
the DNS policies, which allow administrators to control how a
Windows DNS server responds to DNS queries. And there are
countless uses for DNS policies, including the ability to redirect
or block DNS queries from malicious IP addresses.
DNS policies can also help with load balancing. Until Window
Server 2016, the only type of load balancing a Microsoft DNS
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server natively supported was round-robin load balancing. For
example, if three web servers provide a particular service, then
the administrator could use DNS round-robin load balancing to
distribute inbound traffic evenly across the servers. But with this
method, there is no intelligence in the balancing mechanism.
DNS has no way to know if one host can handle a
disproportionate volume of traffic or know if the hosts are
healthy.
Directing inbound traffic to the closest data center or performing
redirection based on the time of day are two other uses for DNS
policies.
IPAM console gains DNS support
IP address management (IPAM) has been a part of Windows
Server for several years. Larger organizations use IPAM to manage
the servers that play key roles in running the IP address
infrastructure. Until the release of Windows Server 2016, the
IPAM console had little DNS support. The Windows Server 2012
IPAM console provides rich support for interacting with DHCP
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servers, but it has few options for interacting with DNS. The only
options available with a DNS server are to launch the Microsoft
Management Console or retrieve server data.
Microsoft added more DNS-related functionality to the Windows
Server 2016 IPAM console, including the ability to create,
modify and delete resource records. Microsoft also added a
filtering option to let administrators examine resource records
and IP addresses at the DNS-zone level. This filtering is based on
an IP address inventory that is compiled from DNS host records,
either manually or automatically. IPAM collects DNS zone and
resource record information from a Windows DNS server that
runs on Windows Server 2008 or later.
Download this podcast
Microsoft goes cloud-heavy with
Windows Server 2016
Microsoft wants sysadmins to get their heads in the clouds by
packing support for containers and Azure services into Windows
Server 2016.
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Response rate limiting helps avoid DoS
attacks
Windows Server 2016 also features a way to throttle the DNS
response rate to prevent denial of service (DoS) attacks against a
Windows DNS server. The feature limits the number of times per
second that a DNS server will issue a response -- or an error --
to a client.
Microsoft configured the response rate limiting feature so it won't
affect legitimate requests. Administrators can define whitelists
based on domains or subnets to exempt them from DNS request
throttling. An organization might put its internal subnets on a
whitelist while imposing a rate limit for external clients to limit
the effect of a DOS attack.
Next article
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Windows Server 2016
networking features
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Tools make file share
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Page 11 of 15
Windows Server Migration Tools
make file share moves less taxing
Adam Bertram, Freelance Writer
http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/Windows-Server-
Migration-Tools-make-file-share-moves-less-taxing
A common administrative task is a file server migration. But this
regular task isn't without issues if administrators do not plan in
advance or follow appropriate procedures. Without these
safeguards, the file server migration can result in broken NTFS
or share permissions or even lost files. Administrators should
follow and test a specific procedure to execute a trouble-free file
server migration.
A file server can feature many different functions that need to
move, such as file shares, Distributed File System namespaces
and BranchCache. However, the most common scenarios involve
migrating file shares and all files with permissions. To do the
heavy lifting for this task, Microsoft offers a set of PowerShell
cmdlets called the Windows Server Migration Tools. This utility
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eases the migration process -- moving a number of Windows
roles, features and various operating systems to a new server.
How to install Windows Server
Migration Tools
To get started, install the Migration Windows feature on the
destination server. Open a PowerShell console and run Install-
WindowsFeature Name Migration to execute the Windows Server
Migration Tools installation; this will add the required tools.
Next, create a deployment folder on the destination server with
the smigdeploy.exe utility that came from the Windows Server
Migration Tools snap-in. Specify a few key attributes to create
the folder; the syntax of the command is:
C:\Windows\System32\ServerMigrationTools\SmigDeploy.exe
/package /architecture amd64 /os WS08R2 /path <deployment
folder path>
Ensure that the architecture and OS match the source server. To
verify this, query Windows Management Instrumentation.
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The /os parameter can be WS03, WS08, WS08R2 or WS12 for
Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server
2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012, respectively. The
/architecture switch can be amd64 or x86 for an AMD or Intel
processor. The example below shows that the source server is a
64-bit machine with an AMD processor running Windows
Server 2008 R2.
After the command creates the deployment folder on the
destination server, transfer the contents of this folder to the
source server. After that, use Remote Desktop Protocol to connect
to the source server and run the smigdeploy.exe utility located in
C:\<DeploymentFolder>\SMT_<OS>_<Architecture>. This will
open a PowerShell console session and execute.
When the utility has finished, go back to the destination server
and enable the server to receive the deployment data. To do this,
use the existing PowerShell console window or open up a new
console as the administrator and enable the PSSnapin:
Add-PsSnapin microsoft.windows.servermanager.migration
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This command makes all the PowerShell cmdlets available.

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Next, run Receive-SmigServerData. This will open the
connection on the destination server so the source server can send
Upgrade to Windows
the data. This will be open for approximately five minutes.
Server 2016 or consider
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Windows Server 2016 features focus on

Windows Server 2016
networking features
bolster control, security evolving IT landscape
Windows Server Migration
Tools make file share
SearchWindowsServer talks with cloud architect Thomas Maurer
moves less taxing about Windows Server 2016, Docker containers, Storage Spaces
Direct and more.

Next, on the source server, send the data to the destination server.
To do that, use the Send-SmigServerData cmdlet in the
PowerShell console. The SourcePath is the deployment folder
that was copied from the destination server; the destination path
is a local folder anywhere on the destination server where the
deployment files will live.

Page 14 of 15
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Send-SmigServerData -ComputerName <DestinationServer> -
SourcePath <SourceDeploymentFolder> -DestinationPath
<DestinationDeploymentFolder> -Include All Recurse
At the password prompt, enter the password that was provided
when running Receive-SmigServerData on the destination
server.
When this command completes, all files and every share should
be transferred to the destination server. Make sure all shares
were recreated on the destination server by running Get-
SmbShare in a PowerShell console.
Check Microsoft documentation for a full breakdown of almost
every feature installed on the source server and how to migrate
those features to a new server.