Upgrading server order

[Guest]

I am looking at doing an inplace upgrade to Windows 2000 on my pdc and bdcs
and need to know if that is possible, or the best option, with the following
network server configuration:
1 NT 4 PDC doing file and print
1 NT 4 BDC running Exchange 5.5
2 NT 4 BDCs running SQL 7
1 W2K member running DNS/DHCP
1 W2K member running SMS 2.0

I have a NT 4 BDC that I pull offline as an account backup server that will
be decommisioned after the upgrade is done.

Will the inplace upgrade work for all 4 of the NT servers I presently have?
Is this the best option as I do want to preserve my present domain config?
Thanks

 

[Jonathan]

An inplace upgrade is not the way to do this.

Here is the process on upgrading your domain:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/en/advanced/help/about_upgrading_an_exi
sting_windows_nt_domain.htm

This is the process of how you should do this.

Here is a seminar you can watch:

http://www.microsoft.com/seminar/shared/asp/view.asp?url=/Seminar/en/2003042
4vcon19/manifest.xml

Good luck!

 

[Gerry Hickman]

1 NT 4 PDC doing file and print

I think you can upgrade this one, and all the domain accounts will
migrate. Make sure you have disaster recovery in place just in case.
Make sure you're not using any local groups or accounts on any of the
other servers. You may have to reinstall, and reconnect all the
printers. Actually, you may be better off moving all the printers to one
of your Win2k boxes before you begin. You'll have to go through all your
hardware in case there's any 3rd party controllers that don't have inbox
Win2k drivers. The setup program will also warn you if it thinks there's
hardware that isn't compatible. I'd suggest pointing the upgrade to a
network location or CD that has the latest service pack "slipstreamed"
into the build.

1 NT 4 BDC running Exchange 5.5

You may have to keep this running in "mixed mode" until you can put
Exchange 2000 on a newly built machine.

2 NT 4 BDCs running SQL 7

These could perhaps be upgraded and then demoted to member servers.

1 W2K member running DNS/DHCP

You could promote this to a replication partner of the first server
after you've upgraded it. Make sure the DNS is rock solid before you
begin the upgrade. If your current domain is "non dotted", win2k will
not like it and D-DNS registration won't work. You may therefore have to
make it dotted (e.g. yourcompany.local or yourcompany.pri). The old NT4
domain will still be seen by all NetBIOS operations (and NTLM) even
after the upgrade.

1 W2K member running SMS 2.0

Leave this as it is.

I have a NT 4 BDC that I pull offline as an account backup server that will
be decommisioned after the upgrade is done.

Yup.