Upgrading 2000 child domain to 2003

[erectmember]

Hi,

can anyone help me with the following please?

Our forest has two domains. The root domain role holders are both
windows2003 and there are also windows2000 DCs in the root domain

The child domain has only two DCs and they are both windows2000 server.

Both domains are running in 2000 native mode.

I wish to upgrade the child domain DCs to windows2003 and wondered if
anyone could give me information as to how to do this safely please?

I already take nightly system state backups of AD for the child domain
so i should be able to restore if it all goes horribly wrong however
I'd prefer not to get there.

Can anyone help please?

Thanks.

 

[Chriss3 [MVP]]

You have two options if you going to use the existing hardware,

Do an inplace upgrade of Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003,
This means insert the CD and upgrade the current OS. If you chose this
option, some changes will not be upgraded and improved automatically without
modify one or more registry key values after the upgrade. Such your upgraded
Domain Controllers from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003 will
using loose replication mode. But a clean installed Windows Server 2003 will
use strict replication.

The other option is to demote the existing Domain Controllers, one by one
and re-install a clean copy of Windows Server 2003. Lets say you move all
roles off the first DC in one of the child domains. (DNS,GC,FSMO roles) to
the other DC. Wait or force replication. Then demote it and re-install it
with Windows Server 2003, Promote it to Domain Controller, bring all the
roles back from the other DC. (DNS,GC,FSMO roles), Wait or force
replication. Demote it and re-install it as the first one. This way allows
you to take advantages of all improvements in Windows Server 2003 from the
beginning.

--
Regards
Christoffer Andersson
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services

No email replies please - reply in the newsgroup

 

[erectmember]

thanks guys very helpful. You reckon i need to do that domainprep as
well?