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Upgrade and migrate roles and features in Windows Server

Upgrading or migrating roles and features in Windows Server is essential for maintaining security, performance, and supportability. This article provides an overview which roles and features can be upgraded in-place or migrated to a new server. It also provides links to detailed migration guides for each role and feature, as well as information about the Windows Server Migration Tools and Storage Migration Service. Use this information to plan a smooth transition to newer versions of Windows Server, minimize downtime, and ensure continued reliability for your workloads.

You can update roles and features to later versions of Windows Server in two ways:

  • Migration: Move roles and features to a new server running the newer version of Windows Server.
  • In-place upgrade: Install the new version of Windows Server over the existing one, keeping roles and features in place.

Some roles and features support both methods, while others might only support migration.

You can migrate many roles and features by using Windows Server Migration Tools. This feature is built into Windows Server and helps you move roles and features to a new server. For file servers and storage, use the Storage Migration Service.

The migration guides support migrations of specified roles and features from one server to another (not in-place upgrades). Unless the guides say otherwise, you can migrate between physical and virtual computers. You can also migrate between Windows Server installations that use either Server with Desktop Experience or Server Core.

Important

Before you begin migrating roles and features, verify that both source and destination servers are running the most current updates that are available for their operating systems.

Before migrating or upgrading to a new version of Windows Server, review the support lifecycle policy for that version. Make sure you understand how long it's supported. You can search for lifecycle information for the specific Windows Server release you plan to use.

Windows Server Migration Tools

Windows Server Migration Tools enables you to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to servers, including later versions of Windows Server. It's a feature of Windows Server and so it's easily installed using the Add Roles and Features wizard, or PowerShell. Learn more about how to install, use, and remove Windows Server Migration Tools.

Note

Cross-subnet migrations using Windows Server Migration Tools is available with Windows Server 2012 and later releases. Previous versions of Windows Server Migration Tools only support migrations in the same subnet.

Upgrade and migration matrix

Server Role Upgradeable in-place? Migration Supported? Can migration be completed without downtime?
Active Directory Certificate Services Yes Yes No
Active Directory Domain Services Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Federation Services No Yes No (new nodes need to be added to the farm)
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Yes Yes Yes
Active Directory Rights Management Services Yes Yes No
DHCP Server Yes Yes Yes
DNS Server Yes Yes No
Failover Clustering Yes with Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade or when the server is removed by the cluster for upgrade and then added to a different cluster. Yes Yes for Failover Clusters with Hyper-V VMs or Failover Clusters running the Scale-out File Server role. See Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade.
File and Storage Services Yes Varies by subfeature No
Hyper-V Yes with Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade process Yes Yes for Failover Clusters with Hyper-V VMs or Failover Clusters running the Scale-out File Server role. See Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade.
Print and Fax Services No Yes (using Printbrm.exe) No
Remote Desktop Services Yes, for all subroles, but mixed mode farm isn't supported Yes No
Web Server (IIS) Yes Yes No
Windows Server Essentials Experience Yes Yes No
Windows Server Update Services Yes Yes No
Work Folders Yes Yes Yes with Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade process.

Migration guides

Below you can find links to migration guides for specific Windows Roles and Features.

Active Directory

BranchCache

DHCP

Failover Clustering

File and Storage Services

Hyper-V

Network Policy Server

Remote Desktop Services

Routing and Remote Access

Web Server (IIS)

Windows Server Update Services

Other Windows migration guides