Some key takeaways from the CEP session on migrating from Configuration Manager 2007 to Configuration Manager 2012. Session hosted by Eric Orman and Jeroen van Eesteren, both from Microsoft.
How migrations were commonly handled in ConfigMgr 2007:
- Clients were reassigned and updated
- Objects were migrated using scripts and custom tools
- Infrastructure was implemented side by side
- Inventory data was either regenerated or preserved
What ConfigMgr 2012 will offer in regards of migration:
- Assistance for migrating objects and clients
- Minimizing WAN impact
- Flattening the ConfigMgr hierarchy
- Maximizing the re-usability of x64 hardware
Migration functionality will come out-of-the-box with ConfigMgr 2012:
- Automated object migration (collections, packages, boundaries, metering rules, etc …)
- DP sharing: fallback to ConfigMgr 2007 DP for obtaining migrated content
- Content prestaging (similar functionality as the PkgPreLoadOnSite utility)
- Distribution point upgrade to reduce requirement to redistribute content
High-level migration steps:
- Enable migration by specifying a ConfigMgr 2007 source central site
- Enable DP Sharing
- Define migration jobs
- Upgrade and re-assign clients to a ConfigMgr 2012 site
- Distribute or leverage DP sharing for deployment of migrated objects to new 2012 clients
- After client migration start distributing content to ConfigMgr 2012 DP
- Decommission ConfigMgr 2007 Infrastructure
Objects supported for migration:
- Collections
- Advertisements
- Boundaries
- Software Packages and Virtual App packages
- Software update objects: deployments, deployment packages, templates and update lists
- OSD objects: boot images, driver packages, drivers, images, packages and task sequences
- DCM / Settings Management elements: Baselines and CI’s
- Asset Intelligence customizations
- Software Metering Rules
How to prepare your environment for migration:
- Get to the ConfigMgr 2007 SP2 level as a minimum
- Collections best practices:
– Avoid using mixed collections containing users and devices
– Avoid collections using multiple query rules which limit to different collections - Use UNC paths for defining package sources. Avoid using local paths.
- Site codes must remain unique between ConfigMgr 2007 and ConfigMgr 2012 sites
