I have an older server with a lot of shared directories on it. I want to migrate them individually to a new W2K8R2 server. I understand Robocopy will retain all the permissions and such which is what I need. The problem I'm having is that I can't quite figure out the proper set of parameters and options to do what I need. I want to copy \\Source_server\D$\Directory_A and all of it's subdirectories and files to \\Destination_server\G$ with the same high level directory name with all of it's permissions and everything below it. What I'm finding is if I include the name "DirectoryA" in my source path, I only get the subfolders and their contents. I lose the high level directory and all of it's permissions. If I leave that name off and set the file name parameter to DirectoryA, it copies every directory on the source drive, which I don't want. Is there a way to do what I need with Robocopy? If not is there another utility that would do the job? Thanks!

Hello,did you use:robocopy \\Source_server\D$\Directory_A \\Destination_server\G$ /mir or which one did you use?http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733145(WS.10).aspxBest regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Whoa, that really did weird things. It did the same thing as my first example. It didn't copy the DirectoryA folder itself, only the subfolders. It removed all the ownership and permissions that I need to keep. And then it had the added surprise of deleteing all the other stuff I had in \\Destination_server\G$. Fortunately, it was only some other test directories and log files but I didn't expect them to disappear. I think I need to avoid anything with "purge" implied. Is there any other utility besides Robocopy that might work for my situation? Thanks!

Hello,well, you always have to test this kind of stuff before doing it on production. Which command line did you use for your try?Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

robocopy \\Source_server\D$\Directory_A \\Destination_server\G$ /mir Is there any utility that I could just drag and drop that directory and have it bring everything over to the destination server?

Hi,Drag and drop will not export the permissions, so you still need to rely on robocopy or xcopy with /o / s switches.

I still can't figure out how to copy the root directoy and all its subdirectories and permissions. I either get all the root directories on the souce drive or I get only the subdirectories of the directory I need but not the root dorectory. I'm obviously missing something but I can't figure out what it is. Everything I google about robocopy makes it sound like it's the correct tool, I just can't find the right parameters to handle my needs. Can anyone please help me? Thanks!

HelloTry using richcopy 4.0..It is Microsoft advanced alternative to robocopy..The graphical interface will help you get the correct switches etc..Or you can try robocopy GUI as well.http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspxIsaac Oben MCITP:EA, MCSE

I tried Richcopy first but I had the same problem. I couldn't figure out how to copy the root direstory. It basically did the same thing that robocopy did but with a GUI interface. Has anyone else ever successfully copied directory structures from one machine to another? And if so, what was the exact syntax of the command? Thanks!

This is a typical issue, you need to configure the security on the destination directory manually (or as part of the script) before or after the Robocopy command. I usually do it before the Robocopy command but either should work, depending on how you setup your permissions.Now that i think about it (if i remember correctly) I think the issue is Robocopy will not copy permissions if they are inherited from a parent folder of the source folder specified in the Robocopy command???? Not positive but i think that is correct.Here is the robocopy command i use to mirror foldersROBOCOPY /B /NOSD /NODD /E /V /TS /FP /COPYALL /MIR /PF /W:10 /R:3 /XF *.tmp ~$*.* ~WR*.*

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I'll keep looking around to see if I can find a tool that will copy everything that I need. I have hundreds of shares to move around and I don't what to have to manually create a lot of stuff. I'd rather just copy what I already have set up.