SBS 2011 to Migrate or Start Fresh

     The time has come again for all of us lucky SBS fans to think about how to tread in the minefield known as the SBS migrations. The advent of virtual machines has given us an excellent test bed for various different scenarios and also a means to protect ourselves and our clients from " migrations gone wrong" and all the joy that comes with them. If my first try from SBS 2008 to SBS 2011 would have been on a client network, they probably would not be a client anymore. They certainly would not have been happy with me.

   Since my wife plays the role of irate customer very well, my home network is a great place to hone my skills. Minimal impact and disruption to the end user is always the goal. With that being said, what kind of options do we have to achieve this.

1. Microsoft White Paper on a live network ( a path fraught with hidden disasters lurking around every bend)
2. A Jeff Middelton swing migration (excellent stuff, protects the client network from the hidden disasters since most work is done offline from the production network. I don't think he has his SBS 2011 scenarios available yet.) There is a cost for the Swing Kits.
3. A Microsoft or Swing Migration done virtually.( a path with no impact on the live network, should something blow up.)
4. Fresh install. (depending on how many users )

  My first attempt will be a Microsoft White Paper done virtually to keep me out of trouble. The adventures continue here http://bnwinc.blogspot.com/p/various-migration-adventures.html