Moving user accounts to new server

[Grok]

We have a Windows 2000 Server that we are replacing.

Box A {
AMD CPU, some obscure motherboard + chipset
Windows 2000 Server on 10gb C: of 120gb hdd
}

Box B {
Dual P3 CPU, Supermicro MB, Via chipset
Windows 2003 Server on 20gb hdd
}

We plan on blowing away A's system partition and moving the 120gb hdd
to box B, but we want to save the user accounts from the OS as well.

Doing an in-place upgrade of the 2000 to 2003 is fine as an
intermediate step, but we want to end up on a clean install of Win2003
on box B when all is done.

We'd appreciate input from an expert who has done similar or can
critique our current thinking. Our idea so far:

* Upgrade Win2000 Server to Active Directory. According to a MS KB
article, local accounts on a non-domain, stand-alone server get
imported to the active directory database.

* Make the new Win2003 Server a backup controller and let the AD
synchronize. This will cause all existing user accounts to be present
in the Win2003 database.

* Kill the Win2000 box and promote the Win2003 to primary.

* Blow away the system partition on Win2000 and move the hard drive
to the Win2003 server.

Ideas? Critiques? Will this preserve the ACLs on the hard drive
being moved between server? The SIDs will be the unchanged, right?

Grok

 

[Jerold Schulman]

We have a Windows 2000 Server that we are replacing.

Box A {
AMD CPU, some obscure motherboard + chipset
Windows 2000 Server on 10gb C: of 120gb hdd
}

Box B {
Dual P3 CPU, Supermicro MB, Via chipset
Windows 2003 Server on 20gb hdd
}

We plan on blowing away A's system partition and moving the 120gb hdd
to box B, but we want to save the user accounts from the OS as well.

Doing an in-place upgrade of the 2000 to 2003 is fine as an
intermediate step, but we want to end up on a clean install of Win2003
on box B when all is done.

We'd appreciate input from an expert who has done similar or can
critique our current thinking. Our idea so far:

* Upgrade Win2000 Server to Active Directory. According to a MS KB
article, local accounts on a non-domain, stand-alone server get
imported to the active directory database.

* Make the new Win2003 Server a backup controller and let the AD
synchronize. This will cause all existing user accounts to be present
in the Win2003 database.

* Kill the Win2000 box and promote the Win2003 to primary.

* Blow away the system partition on Win2000 and move the hard drive
to the Win2003 server.

Ideas? Critiques? Will this preserve the ACLs on the hard drive
being moved between server? The SIDs will be the unchanged, right?

Grok

Also, transfer the roles.
See tip 2728 in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsiinc.com

Jerold Schulman
Windows: General MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com