Upgrading to active directory

[Mark N.]

What happens to your NT4 BDC's when you upgrade your NT4 domain to active
directory? I'm planning to do this but one of my BDC's has an ISDN card
that won't run on anything but NT4. Will I have to take out that BDC when I
do the upgrade?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Matjaz Ladava [MVP]]

No. When you upgrade to AD, you upgrade your PDC server (old or specially
created one). After upgrade BDC's are still allowed. This is called mixed
mode domain. After all DC's have been upgraded to AD DC's and no BDC's
exists, then you can rise your domain functionality to higher level and gain
some more benefits from AD, but you can have BDC's in AD environment.

--
Regards

Matjaz Ladava
MVP Windows Server - Directory Services
(e-mail address removed), (e-mail address removed)

 

[Danny Sanders]

If you leave your AD domain in mixed mode you don't have to do anything with
the NT 4.0 BDC.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

 

[Mark N.]

No. When you upgrade to AD, you upgrade your PDC server (old or specially

created one). After upgrade BDC's are still allowed. This is called mixed
mode domain. After all DC's have been upgraded to AD DC's and no BDC's
exists, then you can rise your domain functionality to higher level and gain
some more benefits from AD, but you can have BDC's in AD environment.

--
Regards

Matjaz Ladava
MVP Windows Server - Directory Services
(e-mail address removed), (e-mail address removed)

Many thanks! One less thing to worry about

Mark

 

[Mark N.]

If you leave your AD domain in mixed mode you don't have to do anything
with

the NT 4.0 BDC.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

Thanks!
Mark

 

[Mark N.]

If you leave your AD domain in mixed mode you don't have to do anything
with

the NT 4.0 BDC.

Here's another question: I should probably upgrade to AD and then promote
another Win2003 server to a DC too? I'm just thinking about what would
happen to the active directory if my first/only DC died and all that I had
was the BDC?

 

[Danny Sanders]

Here's another question: I should probably upgrade to AD and then promote

another Win2003 server to a DC too?

Yes, if you have another BDC you can promote, or you can add a new Win 2k3
DC.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

 

[Mark N.]

Yes, if you have another BDC you can promote, or you can add a new Win 2k3

DC.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

So, losing that lone Win2003 DC won't kill my active directory? I have a
lot to learn :-(

 

[Danny Sanders]

You need a second AD DC in incase your first AD DC goes down in order
maintain your domain. Don't rely on a NT 4.0 BDC to maintain an AD domain
after the original AD DC goes down.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE

 

[Mark N.]

You need a second AD DC in incase your first AD DC goes down in order

maintain your domain. Don't rely on a NT 4.0 BDC to maintain an AD domain
after the original AD DC goes down.

Oh, okay - I misunderstood that part.

I was thinking about my "upgrade recovery plan" and remembering that I had
been told that if I set aside a replicated, NT4 BDC, I could simply pull the
new AD DC out of the network and install and promote that spare NT4 BDC - if
I had a problem with the upgrade.
As I don't know what to expect overall, is this true? I mean, is reverting
back to pre-AD this easy?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Danny Sanders]

Yes this is true. Trying to promote the BDC to PDC without the PDC present
will throw up errors, but it will work.

You need to be aware that this will basically keep the user/domain
information, it has nothing to do with user files saved to a home folder
etc.. It will keep the domain SID and you won't have to recreate your users.
You will need a backup to recover user files to the new server.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE