Move SharePoint 2003 Portal Server database to SQL server on different domain forests

Question

We have an old installation of SharePoint 2003, with a basic setup:-

• Server 1: SharePoint Portal Server Web Applications on Windows Server 2003.
• Server 2: SQL Server 2008 hosting config and content databases

Server 1 and Server 2 are in Domain Forest A.

We need to move our SQL Server instance to a new Domain, Domain Forest B, running on Server 3, so need to move the config and content databases from Server 2 to Server 3.

We do have trust setup between the two domains.

I am looking for confirmation that this setup will work, and a guide to how we can perform this change.

Answer 1

Assuming you've already searched the web for this, I doubt you will find many/any guides that describe the particular scenario of moving your databases to a different domain. I'm not even sure if this is supported (but it may be). Given that, here are some steps that may work:

1. If you don't already have a test environment that exactly matches production, I would replicate your environment in virtual machines so the procedure can be tested first. This is really important as the older the version of SharePoint, the less tolerant it is to significant environmental changes.

2. Make sure your SharePoint farm is running Service Pack 3. As described in the KB article linked below, it is advised to have the most recent service pack applied before attempting to move databases.

3. Follow the instructions in KB article 894164: How to move the databases that are used by SharePoint Portal Server 2003 to a computer that is running SQL Server. Of course, the scenario is a little different but the principles are the same.