Replacing Win2K DCs with Win2K3 DCs

[Robert Gordon]

I apologize if this is a repeat for some of you reading this. I just wanted
to get a final sanity check before I attempt this migration...

We are curently running two Win2K native AD controllers.

DC-1: first AD controller in our domain
services: Domain Controller, GC server, AD-integrated DNS which is the
primary for the domain

DC-2: second AD controller in our domain
services: Domain Controller, GC server, AD-integreated DNS which is the
secondary for the domain
DHCP server using DC-2's DDNS server for updates

What I want to do is make DC-2 the temporary primary DC in the domain,
remove DC-1 from AD completely and then wipe that server clean and reinstall
Win2K3 server on it and reintroduce that server into AD as a domain
controller. Once DC-1 is back in the domain as a domain controller with the
same services it had running before, I want to remove DC-2 and do exactly
the same thing.

Can someone recommend what the proper steps should be (i.e. when to run
DCPROMO, moving FSMO rights, etc.) so that I can do this migration with as
little interference to my users as possible?

 

[Matjaz Ladava [MVP]]

For upgrading Windows 2000 AD to Windows 2003 AD see
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;325379. You will
have to extend your AD schema prior to introducing any Windows Server 2003
as domain controller.
Apart from that, you must move all your services to another DC, transfer all
Operation masters roles (FSMO) from the server you are trying to demote and
then demote DC. Is there any particular service that you think will cause
problems?

--
Regards

Matjaz Ladava, MCSE (NT4 & 2000), Windows MVP
(e-mail address removed)
http://ladava.com