In place upgrade, skipping steps

[Steve]

I have a question about upgrading, whether all my planned steps are
necessary, or if I can skip some steps, see below.

I have one domain, with one NT4 PDC server. Because this machine has
been in service a long time, I want to format the hard drive prior to
upgrading to win2000. My plan:

1. Setup spare machine as BDC, sync with the PDC
2. Take original PDC offline, then promote BDC to PDC
3. Format, re-install NT4 server on Original PDC
4. Sync with what is now the PDC.
5. Take what is currently the PDC offline and keep separate.
6. Promote what is currently the BDC to PDC. This will bring me right
back to where I was, but with a 'clean' install of NT4.
7. Perform In-place upgrade to win2000.

Because the current NT4 server is a little flaky, I want to start
completely fresh. An upgrade to win2000 without formating will
'inherit' the previous registry, won't it? I'm assuming using ADMT
won't work in this situation, is that correct?

Thanks, Steve

 

[Steve]

I have a question about upgrading, whether all my planned steps are
necessary, or if I can skip some steps, see below.

I have one domain, with one NT4 PDC server. Because this machine has
been in service a long time, I want to format the hard drive prior to
upgrading to win2000. My plan:

1. Setup spare machine as BDC, sync with the PDC
2. Take original PDC offline, then promote BDC to PDC
3. Format, re-install NT4 server on Original PDC
4. Sync with what is now the PDC.
5. Take what is currently the PDC offline and keep separate.
6. Promote what is currently the BDC to PDC. This will bring me right
back to where I was, but with a 'clean' install of NT4.
7. Perform In-place upgrade to win2000.

Because the current NT4 server is a little flaky, I want to start
completely fresh. An upgrade to win2000 without formating will
'inherit' the previous registry, won't it? I'm assuming using ADMT
won't work in this situation, is that correct?

Thanks, Steve

I guess the basic question is: After formating the original PDC, is
there an easy way to just install win2000 server on it, getting users
etc from the NT4 PDC (origianlly the BDC)...without first
re-installing NT4 server? Thats the step I'd like to do away with if
possible.

Steve

 

[David Pharr [MS]]

Dear Steve,

The original steps you outlined should work just fine. You're correct that
ADMT will not do you any good - it is intended to migrate securty
principals from one domain to a new domain, which is not what you're trying
to accomplish.

A Windows 2000 DC will not be subordinate to an NT4 PDC, so if you are
intending to upgrade to Windows 2000 with the user accounts and other
security principals from your current domain in-place then you need to
follow your original plan - install the newly formatted machine as an NT4
BDC, promote it to become the PDC then install Windows 2000. If you skip
that step you will not be able to make that machine a domain controller in
the original NT4 domain and will need a migration tool like ADMT to pull
the security prinicpals into the new domain you will have to create. Your
original proposal is much more efficient.

296480 HOW TO: Upgrade a Windows NT 4.0-Based PDC to a Windows 2000-Based
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296480

(e-mail address removed)

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