How to Upgrade NT 4.0 PDC to a Win2000 Environment

[38383838]

I am new to this website/forum, and hope this is the correct format to post an question: My question is how to upgrade a NT 4.0 PDC to an exsiting Win2k Forest? There is an exsiting Win2k DC in it's own seperate domain(the root domain), and the primary domian is a NT 4.0 based(user/computer accounts). I am unsure what would happen to my user/computer accounts when I upgraded and/or joined the Win2k domain.

Should I keep the NT 4.0 PDC in in it's domain when upgrading to Win2k? Then set up a trust between the two domains, and that the user/computer accounts would of course be seperate. I would like to keep the user/computer accounts on the PDC (which would become the 2nd DC) and not use the AD migration tool to transfer them to the existing Win2k Server. Or would I create/upgrade the new domain and place it in the existing Win2k domain?

There is a current Win2k Stand alone Server running internal and external DNS. I want to make sure it is ok to register with the same DNS server but of course with different domain names?

Lastly, when I upgrade the NT 4.0 PDC, I assume the AD wizard will pick up the original computer name, and I would just have to add the domain to it? For example server name is xyz, and the domain is called abc. Would the server/domain now be called in AD xyz.abc.com?


I have read a lot of books and articles, and have found it difficult to find the answer to this particular question. Most talk about single vs multiple domain, but don't reference already mixed multiple domains.

Thank you I would appreciate any advice you can extend

 

[mickyjune26]

The main thing you must worry about is to upgrade your NT PDC first, because when it is a 2000 machine, it will emulate the PDC role to the remaining BDCs. It will keep the existing name, though it will prompt you for a DNS suffix, such as .com.

It will also prompt to join a forest, tree, and such. At that point, join it to the existing ones on the 2k servers.

 

[38383838]

Thank you for your quick response. I will upgrade the PDC first, and also take a BDC offline for disaster recovery purpose if necessary. I am correct to say that during the upgrade AD will recognize the function of the PDC, thus moving all the user/computer accounts over to their specific containers/OU'S?

I would like to clarify when you say "it will prompt to join a forest, tree, and such". Do you mean I will still keep my NT 4.0 domain separate, but of course just upgrade the OS? Then join the Win2k domain as a tree or a OU? Would I not just keep two completely separate domains and set up a trust? Or is that old NT 4.0 school days?

Also I still run Exchange 5.5 on a NT 4.0 box, do you foresee any problems with upgrading the OS to Win2k and keeping Exchange 5.5 for the time being, until I research the upgrade to Exchange 2000 further?

I appreciate any advice you may further give, thanks again!

 

[mickyjune26]

Trusts are the old days of NT. The good news is that every domain in the same tree or forest have transitive trusts. They automatically trust each other.

It will prompt you during the upgrade whether or not you want to create a new forest or join an existing one. You will want to join the existing tree if the domain names are continuous (such as feet.shoes.com and shoes.com). If they are totally different, then join the same forest, but not the same tree (shoes.com and socks.com).

Other than that, it should be a rather painless upgrade.

Upgrading from exchange 5.x is risky. Exchange 2000 works better if you do a clean install, if at all possible.