Migration of Web/Application Server

Question

We're in the process of upgrading our servers from 2008R2 to 2012R2 and I am currently looking at migrating our SharePoint web/application server (we only have a small deployment so are both on the same box) to 2012. I'm not touching the SharePoint SQL database at all.

I've setup the new 2012R2 server and installed SharePoint Server 2013 onto it, can I simply add this new machine to the SharePoint farm and have the old and the new running side by side for a few days, then remove the old server from the farm?

Answer 1

I dont see any issue if you remove the old server in couple of days.I did the same for 2010 farm.Here are steps I followed.

• Install SharePoint on New server( SharePoint version should be same as existing server
• add the service account into server i.e farm admin in local admin group...you can copy from existing server.
• Join the new server to farm.
• make sure you select this server will host central admin.(as you have all on one server).
• now turn on the services which you have on existing server to new server( i.e upa, search service( modify the topology).
• update the DNS record to point new server.
• Update the AAM setting, if using the server name and port number.
• change IIS bindings(if any).
• make the web.config modification if any.

Once everything work as expected then you can remove the old server from farm.