The IIS Migration Wizard

The Windows 2000 Resource Kit

If you need to migrate Web sites, you need the IIS Migration Wizard. The IIS Migration Wizard is a Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit utility that can help you migrate a Web site to an IIS 5.0 server. The wizard supports importing Web sites from these servers:

Because you can import from an IIS 5.0 server, you can also use the wizard to copy a Web site from one server to another.

You can use the IIS Migration Wizard as long as the target server is running Win2K Server and the wizard supports the source server containing the Web site. The wizard is a good choice for IIS 4.0 Web sites because it not only copies the files but creates the virtual directory, migrates metabase settings, and creates the appropriate mappings and security settings.

Because the wizard takes care of these steps for you, it's faster to use than the Internet Services Manager (ISM) or a more brute-force approach (e.g., copying the files manually). The wizard also helps minimize errors resulting from the copy process.

Installing the IIS Migration Wizard
IIS Migration Wizard installation is simple. The wizard has two components:

The wizard supplies the source component for Win2K, NT 4.0, and UNIX. You can install the Win2K version of the source and target utilities by running Iisv5migrationutility_x86.exe from the cdrootappsmigrationwizard directory of the resource kit. The directions for installing the UNIX version of the wizard are in the resource kit's Tools Help documentation.

When you've installed the source component, you can automatically install the target component from the source server. To install the target component from the source server, go to http://sourceserver/iismu/welcome.htm. Then download the appropriate file (m5tx86.exe for x86 processors, or M5TAlpha.exe for Alpha processors). Note that when I tried this installation, neither of these files was installed on my source server. I was running Win2K Server and the setup had proceeded without errors, but the two files weren't there. Luckily, you can install the target component from the resource kit. Simply run the IISv5MigrationUtility TargetOnly_x86.exe file from the cdrootappsmigrationwizard directory on the target system.

Starting the Migration Process
When you've installed the source components on the Web server containing the site you're migrating and the target components on the server you're migrating to, you can start the migration process. Before you use the wizard, make sure your configurations match those in this list (from the IIS Migration Wizard online documentation):

Now, you're ready to use the IIS Migration Wizard.

Using the Wizard
To use the IIS Migration Wizard, log on to the target server, start Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), and go to the IIS Migration Wizard. Because you install the target components on the local system, the URL should look like this: http://localhost/iismu/welcome.htm, where localhost is the name of the target server. You can also start the wizard by selecting Microsoft IIS Migration Wizard from the Programs menu on the target server. Click Next on the Welcome page to display the Step 1 page. Click Next.

On the Step 2 page, select the If you have installed the source . . . option, which Figure 1 shows, and enter the server name, DNS name, or IP address of the source computer. Click Next. Follow the steps on the Step 3 page, then click Next.

The next page, which Figure 2 shows, lists the Web sites on the source server. For example, on my target server, four sites appear on this page. Select the options for the site you want to copy. (Be sure to clear anycheck boxes for sites you don't want to move.) If you want to migrate security settings for files in the site, you can also select Migrate file security settings. Click Next.

Step 5 is a confirmation page, as Figure 3 shows. Here you have a chance to review your selections and make changes, if necessary. If you need to change anything, click Back and make the changes, then click Next to redisplay Step 5. When you're satisfied with your choices, click Next.

The migration process starts with the wizard displaying a list of the steps it's performing. When the migration is complete, a summary page states whether the migration was successful. This page also contains a summary of items the wizard found during the migration. For example, if you migrate file security settings, the wizard will list any problems with ACLs that it can't apply to the new Web site.

The summary page also specifies the steps you must take to complete Web site setup. For example, if the Web site uses components or other executables (e.g., graphics files) that are outside the Web site, you must use another technique to copy those files. Similarly, the wizard won't set up ODBC data sources on the new server to match those on the source server.

If you migrated an Active Server Pages (ASP) site to another server, you can begin using it as soon as you set up the items that the wizard hasn't migrated (e.g., ODBC data sources). If you migrated a UNIX or non-IIS Web site, see the Migrating UNIX Files and Applications notes in the online documentation for steps to complete the process.

You can also save and reuse the archive files (.cab and .log) the wizard creates. You can use these files to install a site without running the wizard again. This shortcut lets you migrate a site to one target server then apply the site to other servers.

The IIS Migration Wizard is useful for many tasks, especially those that involve migrating sites from non-IIS servers to IIS 5.0. Next month, I'll introduce you to the HTTP Monitoring Tool, a command-line utility you can use to access Web sites.