Understanding Migration Options

The options for migrating a Content Management Server Web site to SharePoint Server 2007 are similar to those for upgrading a Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 or SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Web site to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or SharePoint Server 2007. However, because migrating a Content Management Server Web site to SharePoint Server 2007 is a significant change to the underlying platform, you should carefully consider each option prior to beginning a migration.

More Info 

For detailed information on the different upgrade options, please see Chapter 23, "Upgrading from Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0," and Chapter 24, "Upgrading from Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003."

Side-by-Side Migration Option

The side-by-side migration option involves hosting both Content Management Server and SharePoint Server 2007 on the same hardware and using the same SQL server. In this option, you use existing hardware, and thus the need for procuring new hardware is eliminated. This option is ideal for customers whose existing Content Management Server Web sites are meeting business needs and who are not in a rush to migrate to SharePoint Server 2007.

Note 

The side-by-side option might be the most appealing to customers who have very large Content Management Server Web site implementations where multiple development groups are involved in the support of the site. Using this option, portions of the Content Management Server Web site can be migrated to SharePoint Server 2007 based on the availability of the different development and content owner groups.

In Place Migration Option

The in-place migration option migrates an entire Content Management Server Web site to SharePoint Server 2007 in one process. This will probably be the least used option because it allows the least amount of interaction in the process, eliminating the ability to address issues as they occur. Instead, any issues must be addressed at one time, which could potentially lead to significant downtime.

Note 

The in-place option might be appropriate in only the smallest Content Management Server Web site implementations, where there would be few post-migration issues resulting in minimal downtime.

Incremental Migration Option

The Incremental migration option is likely to be the most used option. With this option, content can be migrated from Content Management Server Web sites to SharePoint Server 2007 WCM Web sites gradually and repeatedly, allowing site owners to run two versions of the same site at one time, under the two products (Content Management Server and SharePoint Server 2007), and enabling developers to check their progress as they create and customize the target site's master pages, page layouts, and custom controls. As content is migrated, the existing Content Management Server Web site remains accessible to users, which limits downtime.

Note 

The Incremental migration option is the preferred option of the three because it minimizes downtime and permits developers to migrate sections of a site one by one as they are ready for migration. This approach allows site owners to verify everything has migrated and is working correctly before migrating completely off Content Management Server.