Sorry everyone for repeating myself, but i could really do with some help here. I have a standalone install on server A and on a new server i have installed sharepoint wss using the Farm option whereby the database is on another sql server. I have detatched the WSS_Content database from Server A and attached that database to the sql server. On the new server i have added the WSS_Content database, but i dont know how to configure the frontend so that i can tell i have moved the site from one server to another? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!! Newbie

Next steps: 1. Shut down the old server. 2. Repoint site address in DNS to new server. 3. Create new Web App on new server. 4. Delete a content database from new site. 5. Attach old db to new site. Oleg

Basically, once you've moved the content database from the old server to the new farm's SQL instance and gotten it going, you just need to tell SharePoint (in the new farm) that there is a content database in SQL Server that you'd like to attach to the farm. The Add Content Database functionality in the Central Administration site can be used to create new content databases in SQL Server, but it can also be used to attach existing content databases (as long as they aren't already joined to a different farm) to the farm and immediately update all of the site collections within the database to be a part of the new farm. In the SharePoint Central Admin site for the new farm, open the Application Management page Open the Content Databases page for the web application you want to add the WSS_Content database and its site collection to, then click the Add Content Database link In the Add Content Database page, enter the SQL instance and database name info for the WSS_Content database and click the OK button. This will add in all the site collections that are in the WSS_Content database into the targeted web application in the new farm JohnMCTS: WSS v3, MOSS 2007, and SCOM 2007 Now Available on Amazon - The SharePoint 2007 Disaster Recovery Guide. My blog: My Central Admin.

Oleg i seem to be having a problem here, below are the steps i have taken so far: 1. Copy Database from old Server to new server 2. Installed Sharepoint onto new server as a new farm using sql on another server for the database. 3. Attatched database from old server to sql server. 4. Pointed dns record to use new server address. 5. Shut down old server. 6. Open Central Admin and created a new web app 7. Added the database from sql server. 8. Deleted default database on new server to leave the database i added from the sql server. Are these steps correct so far? But on the new server i cannot browse to the sharepoint site!! What am i missing?

You should remove the database from new site first, after that attach a database from old server. In case if you will add old database as second database to new site I am afraid SharePoint will screw up this database :) 1. Copy Database from old Server to new server 2. Installed Sharepoint onto new server as a new farm using sql on another server for the database. 3. Make sure that new Web Farm works properly. 4. Attatched database from old server to sql server. 5. Repoint site address in DNS to new server. 6. Shut down the old server. 7. Create new Web App on new server. 8. Delete a content database from new site. 9. Attach old db to new site. Oleg

Thank you Oleg, i will try again today and get back to you if thats ok. What i dont understand though is when i have eventually moved the database from old to sql server and added that database to the new sharepoint server (after removing the default database first) do i then just browse to the site as if i was using the old sharepoint server? Why dont we use the backup and restore option in central admin? and say i have a very large workflow, will this be seen by the new install od SPD on the new server like on the old sharepoint server? Newbie

Ok i can add the old database to the new server, i have other databases like Sharepoint_Admin, Sharepoint_Config, Master, Model, etc, do i need to move these as well? Where my confusion still remains is when i have added the database and ammended the DNS entry, shutdown the old server, should i be able to browse to the original site? Below is an outline of what i have and what i want to achieve: Old Server.....Sandalone Install, has loads of sites and very large document workflow. http://sharepoint New Server....Farm install using seperate sql server. need this server to use the same url of old server. I need the New Server to take over the role of the Old Server. I have followed the above steps (albeit on vmware to represent my real servers) but dont seem to be able to browse to the original site. I feel i am close but also way off the mark!! Newbie

1. You do not need to copy other databases because new server has different configuration. 2. You shold use old URL if you want to get a mirror from old server. 3. You have to install all features/solutions that were istalled on old server. 4.If you added workflow via SPD it shoud be copied with database. Oleg

Thank you for the reply, can you explain some points Oleg, so as i understand it, i need to: 1. Installed Sharepoint onto new server as a new farm using sql on another server for the database. 2. Make sure that new Web Farm works properly. (What would you check?) 4. Attatched database from old server to sql server. 5. Repoint site address in DNS to new server. 6. Shut down the old server. 7. Create new Web App on new server. 8. Delete a content database from new site. (this being the default database?) 9. Attach old db to new site. I am unsure of what steps to take next? Do i then need to restore old sharepoint to new server? On my test network after i have added the database on the new server i shutdown the old but then cannot browse using the old url, even though i ammended the dns alias.

"2. Make sure that new Web Farm works properly. (What would you check?)" - just create Site collection on new Web app and try to open it. What the error did you get on new server? This is good explanation how to move SharePoint DB http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262792(office.12).aspx . Oleg

Interesting, i installed the farm and created a web app, i then opened the central admin site but was unable to open the default site http://serv02. I was not able to create a site collection either. So i then closed the central admin site and now i cant access it, i just get a blank page with cannot connect to the configuration database message.

i just get a blank page with cannot connect to the configuration database message. Please make sure that the SharePoint Web Application pool identity and the SharePoint Farm account (the account for the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service in Services.msc) have the right permission for the moved content database (You had moved the content database, the user in the content database should be recreated and permission assigned). You can figure out how to set the permission by check the content database created by the new web application which had been detached from the web application before the restored content database is attached. Or, read this for security setting http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263445(office.12).aspx . If you create web application on new farm with load balanced URL as http://serv02, to use the old URL http://sharepoint, you should extent the web application http://serv02 to http://sharepoint, please read http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287954(office.12).aspx#Section2 for detailed steps. You can check the IIS manager and the AAM setting to see the change before and after web application extension.

Try this link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262325(office.12).aspx "Use these procedures to move a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment from a stand-alone server to a server farm. Over time, as you add features and users, the stand-alone Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment may exceed the limits of its performance and capacity. To correct this, you can move a stand-alone installation of Office SharePoint Server 2007 to a server farm. The procedures in this article provide the information that you must have to move from a stand-alone installation to a server farm while retaining the configuration, content, and site data."