Replacing a SQL server involved in Transactional Replication with least amount of downtime I have a physical server that the company wants to move to virtual - currently, it is a subscriber in Transactional Replication on a very large database.  What would be the best way to minimize the downtime?  

Initialization from backup will still take ~ 30 minutes for the backup, 2 hours for the restore.  I do have the virtual server available to me - would it be possible to set the database that is being Replicated to Log Ship to the new virtual server (to keep it in sync), then when we get ready to do the cut over somehow just re-create the Replication and have it "pick up" without having new snapshots/etc?
You could add the new virtual server as a subscriber and once all of the data is replicated to the new virtual server you can switch connections and delete the old subscriber server.