Restoring Master and MSDB to a new server

[timc]

I have a server attached to a SAN, all user db's are on the SAN, master, tempdb, and msdb are on the local machine. We will be replacing the machine (not the SAN) to a newer sql server. Our plan was to create the new server with same name, deattach current user db's,backup master and msdb, then connect new server with same name an IP to SAN. I then wanted to restore the master and msdb db's to the new machine, and attach the user db's. We are running log shipping to a stand-by server in this configuration. I was thinking I could let last tran log backup and copy occur, and then let the last restore happen on the standby. I would then shut down the agent. Should I not be able to restore the MSDB and master to the new server (as long as all file folder locations are the same) and be ready to go? Or are there issues when restoring the Master and MSDB to a new server from a different server.

[skhanal]

Books online provides all the steps necessary to do this. Since master database is used when sql server starts, you can restore it as other databases. You have to start in single user mode from command line then do the restore.

Similarly you have to stop sql server agent to restore msdb.

[rmiao]

If new server has same sql version and in same sp level with old one, you can copy master and msdb files from old server to replace them on new server.

[timc]

Just copy over the mdf files?

[rmiao]

With all .ldf files.

[timc]

Thanks, that'll work