Nt4 PDC Upgrade 1

[people2]

Hi

I have 1x winnt4 PDC
4x winnt4 BDC
1x winnt4 server running exchange 5.5

I have just got a new windows 2000 advance server that needs building. I would like to replace my Winnt4 PDC with the new W2K server, however i don't want to upgrade any of the other servers just yet.

What is the best way of doing this without creating a new domain and without the new server being a upgrade as i need it to be a fresh copy of w2k advanced.

The workstations are a mix of 2000 pro and Nt4?

From what i have read this is not an easy task can anybody help?

 

[likelylad]

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I seem to remember reading somewhere (I think on the Microsoft site) that the PDC is the last server to be upgraded in the conversion from NT to Win 2000 Server. It said that the BDC's must all be done first.

[Pipe]

 

[gman10]

Why the BDC's first?? Shouldn't the PDC have presedence since that will be the top of the domain structure?

 

[likelylad]

Will The NT4 BDC's be able to read the Win2000 Active Directory?????

 

[jtb]

it's really not too easy!! and as far as I know, you cannot do it the way you want.

You see, you want to save your security database, existing permissions, and so on. The databases used by NT4 and W2K are incompatible without some "massaging"... MS left us one way to do that. Upgrade the PDC to W2K. That way, it builds a "PDC Emulator" that can "speak" with the NT4 BDCs. When all of the BDCs have been converted, W2K automagically switches from "Mixed Mode" to "Native Mode". All of this has no effect on member servers and workstations attached to the domain--in fact they won't realize the difference if you follow the instruction MS has laid out.

In order to make the new server your existing domain's PDC, you'll need to either (1) upgrade it, or (2) upgrade another one and DCPROMO the W2KAS.

I would definitely look at option 2--but consider why you want this and make sure you have your design done and reviewed by the rest of your support team before you start...

Let me know how it works out!
JTB
Solutions Architect
MCSE-NT4, MCP+I, MCP-W2K, CCNA, CCDA,
CTE, MCIWD, i-Net+, Network+
(MCSA, MCSE-W2K, MCIWA, SCSA, SCNA in progress)

 

[sharyn]

Im in the process of doing this now.

The PDC should be the FIRST to be upgraded, not the last.

Without a LOT of headaches, there is no real way to do what you want to do without upgrading your pdc.

I have my domain running in mixed mode at the moment, the PDC upgraded first, a new win2k dc added and I am slowly working my way to upgrading the rest of my bdcs.

The first win2k DC acts as an nt4.0 PDC emulator, as well as taking on what is called the FSMO roles. Look on MS's site for a full defination of what these roles do.

You can always upgrade the PDC, install the new win2k server as a dc (remember, with win2k everything is a domain controller, there is no real distinction between a PDC and a bdc except for the machine holding the FSMO roles, and those can be changed to whatever win2k DC you want to have them)After the new win2k dc has sync'd with the upgraded PDC, you can always demote the old upgraded PDC after transfering the FSMO roles to the new machine, although, if you are going to use the old box as a domain controller, why you would want to demote it is beyond me.

The bottom line here, upgrade the pdc first, the other nt4.0 bdcs can run like that forever.

Sharyn

 

[SteveTheGeek]

One quick correction to jtb's post, the AD doesn't automatically go to Native mode, it'll stay in Mixed mode until you go in and change it.

On another note, you COULD create a new domain with your freshly-built Win2k box and use Active Directory Migration Tool to migrate your NT4 domain to it, but that is if there's some kind of extreme reason for keeping your five existing DCs as-is, and I don't have any first-hand knowledge of anyone doing it that way.

Given what you've said, the option that makes the most sense is to first unplug one of existing BDCs from the network so you have a fall-back, upgrade your existing PDC to Win2k, dcpromo your new Win2k box, transfer the FSMO roles to the new box, then do whatever you want with your server-previously-known-as-the-NT4-PDC-which-is-now-a-Win2k-DC.
-Steve

 

[GlenJohnson]

jtb is got it on the nose in my opinion. He has a lot more experience, but I had to do the same thing, only I had one NT box. Personally, I wouldn't even bring the new w2k box online until you've got all nt boxes upgraded to 2k, run dcpromo on all of them and they will all be dc's. Then you bring your new server online, run dcpromo and have it join your old domain. Good Luck. Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


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