Windows 2000 PDC and 2003 File Server?

[Guest]

We are planning to use Windows 2000 Server on the new machine, but we could
use Windows 2003 Server instead (at no additional cost). What are the
advantages and disadvantages of having our current Primary Domain Controller
- which is Windows 2000 Server - working together with a Windows 2003 Server?
Are there any problems about the two servers being different OSs? Are there
any advantages?

 

[Kaushik Banerjee]

Hi,

There is no problem of having Windows 2003 server to coexist in a Windows
2000 environment.

Windows Server 2003 domain controllers can perfectly coexist in a Windows
2000 forest or a Windows 2000 domain. So they can basically behave in the
same way as Windows 2000 domain controllers. In fact, when you start the
upgrade process from Windows 2000, you can do this by just adding Windows
Server 2003 domain controllers to your deployment.

Only when you want to start using additional functionalities that would not
be understood by Windows 2000 domain controllers anymore do you need to
raise what we call the functional levels. And then, if you raise the
functional levels, we would not support Windows 2000 domain controllers
anymore. You can do this at your own pace. So you can start by adding
Windows Server 2003 domain controllers to your existing Windows 2000
environment, and just upgrade domain controllers step by step and so on. So
we will be fully compatible with the Windows 2000 domain controller.

You can refer this link:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/reviewersguide.
mspx

(e-mail address removed)

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Guest]

Fantastic! thank you very much for your help!