Enable Migration of Active Directory 2008 to 2019 with 3 Ways

User case: How do I migrate Active Directory from 2008 to 2019?

Are you still running your Active Directory on an outdated Windows Server 2008 environment? According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 (R2) operating systems reached the end of their support cycle on the 14th of January 2020. Thus, because of Windows Server 2018 end of life, it's time to consider migrating to the newer and more secure Windows Server 2019.

In this article, we will explore the easy and secure ways of migrating your Active Directory from 2008 to 2019 without experiencing any issues, as well as detailed steps involved in a successful migration. Here we go.

How to migrate Active Directory 2008 to 2019 in 3 ways

In this section, you will be able to learn 3 ways to enable Active Directory migration from 2008 to 2019. They are: clone AD 2008, backup and restore of AD, and follow the official method to manually configure AD on Server 2019. Go on with the following content to migrate Active Directory from 2008 to 2019 step by step.

Way 1. Clone Active Directory 2008 to new Server

The first and easiest method is to use a powerful Active Directory migration tool - AOMEI Backupper Server to help you migrate Domain Controller 2008 r2 to 2019. With its clone feature, you can clone the Active Directory 2008 directly and experience the same configuration on another Server PC without restoring it. Some of its powerful features are listed below.

♨ 3 cloning solutions: This software supports System Clone, Disk Clone, and Partition Clone to satisfy your different needs.
♨ Secure boot: After cloning the AD 2008, you can directly boot from the cloned SSD on another Server 2019.
♨ Live clone: It allows the clone task to work in the background, so the cloning process won't interrupt running programs in the Windows Server and you can work normally while cloning.
♨ High compatibility: It supports all Servers as 2003/2008(R2)/2011/2012(R2)/2016(R2)/2019/2022. Also, it's applicable in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. 

Download the professional and secure cloning software AOMEI Backupper Server and install it on your PC.

Next, you can follow the graphic tutorial below to clone Windows Server 2008 to another server with just a few steps for migrating AD from 2008 to 2019.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Professional. Select Clone > System Clone.

Step 2. The system and boot-related partitions will be selected as the source partition by default, you just need to choose a destination.

Step 3. Confirm your operations and click Start Clone to clone Windows Server 2008.

Way 2. Migrate AD 2008 to 2019 with backup and restore

AOMEI Backupper is also a powerful backup and recovery software designed specifically for Windows Servers. It offers a wide range of features, including the ability to backup and restore Active Directory from one Server to another.

• It allows you to backup your Server 2008(R2) files/disks/partitions/systems to various locations such as local disks, external hard drives or network shares, USB drives, cloud, etc.
• You are able to create a recovery environment or a bootable device to recover a crashed system in the event of a problem on your Server.
•  With the specialized Universal Restore feature, you can transfer Windows Server Active Directory 2008 to dissimilar hardware without boot issues.

The backup and restore AD 2008 process can be easily operated. You just need to open AOMEI Backupper, and follow the illustrated tutorial to complete 2008 Active Directory backup and restore to Server 2019. 

Way 3. Migrate Active Directory 2008 to 2019 manually

Alternatively, you can follow the tutorial Step-by-Step Guide to Transfer Active Directory from One Server to Another by Microsoft website to manually complete the migration Active Directory 2008 to 2019 process.

Summary

Complete the migration of Active Directory 2008 to 2019 is a critical step in ensuring the security and performance of your Server computers. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure a successful migration with the best Active Directory migration tool AOMEI Backupper to transfer Active Directory to another Server and enjoy the many benefits that Windows Server 2019 has to offer.

Except for backup and restore, clone features, AOMEI Backupper Server plays an important role in file syncing. You can solve Windows Server 2019 slow file sharing with fast transfer speed. Why not try it as your Server data protection assistant?