Heed help moving an Active Directory Domain Controller

G

Guest

Currently I have one Dell server with Windows 2000\SP4. This is the only
server in the domain, and is the Global catalog AD server. The server
hardware is a little old so we have decided to replace it. Does anyone know
of the easiest way to replace a DC. Here is what I was thinking:

1. Install the new server as a DC in the existing domain.
2. Confirm all user accounts replicated as well as DNS settings.
3. This is where I get lost. What is the next step? I know there is a way to
transfer all GC and AD data and functions to the second server and then be
able to shut the old server down, but I'm not sure of the steps.

Please help. Thanks

Larry
 
G

Gordon Fecyk

Currently I have one Dell server with Windows 2000\SP4. This is the only
server in the domain, and is the Global catalog AD server. The server
hardware is a little old so we have decided to replace it. Does anyone know
of the easiest way to replace a DC.

The official way to do this is to NTBACKUP the existing server and restore
the backup onto the new server. Microsoft says the hardware should be as
similar as possible, but my experience is NTBACKUP does not try to restore
the old hardware drivers on to a new system.

(Please correct me if this is wrong!)

The last time I needed to upgrade a DC where it was the only DC in the
domain, I Ghosted it. Not the best thing to do but it certainly was the
quickest. Before doing something like this, dumb-down the hardware drivers
(standard VGA, standard IDE) and make sure the target machine can use the
same HAL (ACPI, ACPI Uni/Multi, or Std PC) as the old machine. This is
dangerous because of the HAL differences - do not attempt unless you are
certain the new machine uses the same kind of HAL or you can change it
later.

Now for the "sane" way you were describing:
1. Install the new server as a DC in the existing domain.
2. Confirm all user accounts replicated as well as DNS settings.
3. This is where I get lost. What is the next step?

Copy documents, use profiles, shares, etc to the new server?

If using MS Exchange, install it and move the mailboxes?
I know there is a way to
transfer all GC and AD data and functions to the second server
and then be
able to shut the old server down, but I'm not sure of the steps.

Use AD Sites and Services to make the new server the Global Catalog server.
You also need to transfer the FSMO roles from the old server to the new
one - there's a tool in Windows 2000 Support Tools that lets you do this
safely.

Once all of the roles, the GC and the files you want are all transferred,
you use DCPROMO on the old server to demote it to a member server, and then
you can remove the member server from the domain.
 

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