SQL 2005 SP3 Transactional replication

Question

Info Server A – Windows 2003 with SQL 2005 SP3 Server B – Windows 2008 with SQL 2005 SP3

Server A is running transactional replication for 20 articles of 30 articles with 30 subscribers in different time zones and wan speeds that have been created with a snapshot. Server A is the distribution server also.

Server B is a new server to replace Server A. Server B will be renamed to the same name as Server A, once Server A has stopped replication and renamed.

Question: How could I recreate the transactional replication without having the snapshots get pushed down again. There will be no data changes while this move is taking place. I cannot do the backup publishers method since there are 10 tables not replicated.

Answer 1

If when you build the new server you put the database files all in the same path, you can copy all the system and user database files into place. This way when the new server comes online it should come up with the replication still in place.

Keep in mind that this isn't going to be a Microsoft supported solution. The supported solution would be to repush the snapshots after configuring replication on the new system.

This only works because you are planning on using the same build of SQL Server on the new machine.