This post will give you a step by step process on how you upgrade your SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013. While this is a live migration, I suggest you do proper backups of the server and the database before continuing. Having said that, live migration means that you can upgrade your SharePoint instance from one server to another without any downtime, but during the process anything that happens between like adding new items on the list or deleting a wiki page will not be captured after the copy database has been performed.

I will also assume that you all have the prerequisites with you before starting this process.

Lets start!

Install SharePoint 2013 on a new separate server.
Use the configuration wizard.
Choose “create a new server farm”.
Choose a server and a database name.
Get a passphrase then store it in a secure location, you will need this in the future.
Choose a security setting.
Verify everything is OK.
Wait while server is configuring.
Smile, the installation is successful.
Go to the SharePoint 2013 Central Administration of your new SharePoint, when this shows, it's all good.
Go to your old SharePoint database, then copy the WSS_Content database.
Verify source server properties.
Set your destination SQL Server.
Select the Transfer Method, use the SQL Management Object method if you want a live migration.
Select a database to copy, you will only need WSS_Content.
Configure the properties of Destination Database.
Select Objects, you only need Logins here.
Saving the package created.
Run immediately, you can also schedule them.
Look at the summary.
Wait while it's performing the copy, this will take a while so get yourself a coffee.
Once done, go back to SharePoint 2013 Central Administration and set your SharePoint instance to use the copied WSS_Content database. Go to Application Management -> Manage Web Applications.
Create a new Web Application.
Set new web application properties.
Your application is now created.
Now you need to set that new web application to use the copied WSS_Content database, you need to do this in SharePoint 2013 Management Shell.

Test the database you just copied over by issuing this command:

Test-SPContentDatabase -Name WSS_Content -WebApplication http://YourNewSharepointServer

Now mount them by issuing this command.

Mount-SPContentDatabase -Name WSS_Content -WebApplication http://YourNewSharepointServer

Now that it's mounted, you need to delete the default WSS_Content database created during the installation process.
Choose the default WSS_Content instance, if it's a fresh install usually it's the one with 0 (zero) site collection items.
Tick remove, then hit OK.
Manage your paths.
Copy the same as your old SharePoint 2010 instance.
Congratulations! You have upgraded your SharePoint instance, but not yet quite there. It still looks like the old SharePoint. If you notice there is a pink ribbon on top, click on start now to start upgrade how it looks.
Prepare for takeoff, click the upgrade button
Confirm it.
Now it's doing some checks.
Any problems found will show here, all customized forms will be presented as well as templates not supported, the one on red needs to be fixed before continuing, orange is fine it's just saying that the looks won't be the same as the old one.
Click again on the start now ribbon when all in red are fixed, it will be by a case to case basis. Now, it's upgrading and the page will refresh automatically.
It will show you the progress once it refreshed.
Now it's all done.

Please take note this will be really easy and seamless if you don’t have custom development done on your old SharePoint, like customized webparts. For those who have some customized solution, I am in the process of writing an article on how to migrate them as well, so please watch this space.

Filed under: CodeProject, Configuration, Servers Tagged: Sharepoint, Sharepoint Foundation 2010, Sharepoint Foundation 2013, SQL Server

Live Migration of SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013