Upgrading from WSS 2003 to 2007
One of the easiest and most reliable ways to upgrade a WSS 2003 site collection is via a gradual upgrade. This works if you are building your 2007 environment on new servers and involves using WSS's content database. Below are the steps I use. They work well, when you remember to follow them all, and can be executed very quickly. Of course, this assumes a clean prescan report (with no reported issues on your existing WSS site(s)). Happy upgrading!
- Take a backup of the current production 2003 site(s) using stsadm
- stsadm.exe –o backup –url <siteURL> -filename <siteFILENAME>
- Create a new WSS 2003 virtual server (if you do not have a test copy of your sites)
- Create new virtual directory
- Go to SharePoint Central Administration
- Extend or upgrade virtual server
- Restore site(s) to the new WSS virtual server (this will give you an isolated content database)
- stsadm.exe –o restore –url <siteURL> -filename <siteFILENAME> -overwrite
- Run prescan utility (very important! don't forget this)
- prescan.exe /all
- Backup the WSS 2.0 content database
- Use SQL Server Enterprise Manager/Management Studio
- Restore the WSS 2.0 content database to the new SQL Server server
- Use SQL Server Enterprise Manager/Management Studio
- Create a new WSS 3.0 web application
- Go to SharePoint Central Administration
- Create or extend web application
- Delete the content database
- Go to SharePoint Central Administration
- Content Databases
- Attach the WSS 2003 content database using stsadm
- stsadm.exe –o addcontentdb –url <newsiteURL> -databaseserver <databaseServer> -databasename <databaseName>
- Run IISRESET
- If any site(s) was unghosted in 2003, the interface will remain the same (and not take on the 2007 characteristics). To change this, you must reset the site definition.
- Go to Site Settings
- Click 'Reset to Site Definition'
- After resetting the site definition, you may need to clean up the navigation by removing unnecessary tabs