Old server dying

[Brian]

I have a Windows NT 4.0 server on a compaq proliant 1600 w/ 261,556 KB
ram. This was our original server which housed our manufacturing /
accounting software and was also the print server. We purchased a
Windows 2000 server on a proliant ml350 w/ 2,227,740 KB ram a few years
ago and installed new manf software on it. They recommended keeping the
old server as a print and file server. I have since moved all printers
and files to the new server and would like to shutdown the old one and
retire it. I tried just shuting it down but got permission error
messages and trouble with the workstations finding the network server.
What do I need to do to make this work, step by step if possible,
before the old system dies completly. What happens if old system dies
before I get this done. Thanks for the help, Brian

 

[Danny Sanders]

Moving from NT 4.0 to AD, you either upgrade, by upgrading your existing PDC
to Win 2k and AD, or you migrate by setting up the NT 4.0 domain and the AD
domain side by side on the same wire and use something like ADMT to migrate
users from the old NT 4.0 domain to the new AD domain.

As you network sits now, is the NT 4.0 server the PDC or is it a member
server and the Win 2k server the DC. I suspect the NT 4.0 server is the PDC.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

 

[Brian]

The NT 4.0 is the primary. What happens if it dies?

 

[Danny Sanders]

If it dies you loose your domain. You should really have a BDC on your NT
4.0 domain and at least 2 DCs in the AD domain.


You can cobble together a box to install NT 4.0 on it as a BDC while
connected to your NT 4.0 domain, promote to PDC then upgrade to Win 2k and
AD.
You could then run dcpromo on your existing AD server to make it a DC,
transfer the FSMO roles, DNS info and global catalog to the new AD server
then dcpromo the "box" down to a member server and then remove the box from
the domain.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE