NT4 to Windows 2000 Migration (1st server) 3

[ryoun1b]

Hello Everyone,

I would like to know if it is possible to bring up a 2000 server as a member server before installing AD on an NT 4 domain.

IF so, is it more prudent to bring up a 2000 member server on the NT4 network and bring up a working DNS on the 2000 member server before promoting this machine to AD?

Or is it better to upgrade a PDC to AD running through the installation wizards.

I want to start this process during live production. I have a working DNS server running on an NT4 BDC as well as WINS on that same NT 4 BDC.

Any Thoughts?

 

[FilthPig]

The easiest way to upgrade to active directory is to upgrade your PDC. Now, if that server that's already running DNS and WINS is something you'd feel comfortable promoting to PDC and upgrading, great - do it. Otherwise, install your new server as an NT4 BDC running DNS, promote it, and upgrade it. Whichever you choose, you want DNS running on a Win2k server in your AD domain, hosting your domain's zone and accepting dynamic updates.

You can not run dcpromo on a member server of an NT4 domain. You must either be upgrading the PDC, or already have an AD domain that the 2000 server is a member of.

That kind of rambled, hope it made sense. Marc Creviere

 

[ryoun1b]

So it sounds like I need to do the upgrade of the PDC evenings or weekends to not affect production even if I have a surviving NT4 BDC with DNS and WINS running during production and during my upgrade?

 

[FilthPig]

Authentication, DNS, and wins will still be handled by your BDC during the upgrade if you're upgrading a different PDC.

Active directory requires Dynamic DNS, which means DNS on a win2k server. If you must have DNS/WINS running during the time that you're upgrading, I suggest installing DNS on your new AD domain controller, having it host a standard secondary zone of your domain, then switching it to primary and make your old DNS server secondary. Once the zone is primary, enable dynamic updates and restart the DNS server service. Then, update your clients to point to your new DNS server, either through DHCP or static info depending on how your clients get their network info. WINS can be hosted on either server, as it is not essential to active directory operation. Your 9X/NT4 clients will still use WINS, so don't get rid of it just yet if you have said clients on your network.

Simpler solution from a purely administrative point of view: Plan for some downtime and upgrade your current DNS server after making it PDC. Depending on what else that server is doing, it may not be a good option for you.

As soon as you have an AD domain, all of your win2k and xp pro machines in the domain will authenticate to only Win2k servers. If you have a lot of 2k/xp pro clients, you'll want to think about getting more 2k DCs online as quickly as possible. Marc Creviere

 

[ryoun1b]

okay...thanks for the detail!! I appreciate your reponses.

 

[dschmootz]

Marc,
I'd sure appreciate you ideas on a question that I have related to this. I have a PDC (DHCP/WINS), BDC and another server that are all NT. I want to take the server thats not a DC, wipe it and make it 2000 server, with AD and SQL. The PDC and BDC need to stay NT for now (do to company policy). From what you're saying, I won't be able to do this and use AD on the 2000 server. Is this true? Also, any good book you can recommend for a first timer on installing 2000 with AD and SQL? Thanks!

Don S.

 

[FilthPig]

You can re-install the server that's not a BDC as a BDC, promote it to PDC and upgrade it to Win2k. Your old pdc (made a bdc when you promoted the other) and bdc can remain NT 4. If you install win2k on the non-dc NT server and then implement AD on it, you will have two different domains. Maybe that works for you, but in most cases, it's not recommended. Whichever machine becomes a 2K DC, make sure you have DNS running on it.

The thing to remember about that is that once you have Active Directory all your 2k/xp clients will authenticate exclusively to the 2k DC. If you don't have a lot of client machines that's not such a big deal.

If you can avoid it, I wouldn't install SQL on a DC. SQL performs much better when it has nothing or very little else on the box.

As far as books go, I'd definitly recommend Mastering Windows 2000 Server by Mark Minasi as the difinitive source for learning active directory administration. I've got Inside SQL Server 7 by Soukup and Delaney, and it's alright (I took an SQL class right before I got it so a lot of the book was review - HOWEVER, it's a great reference to T-SQL (the version of the SQL language that MS SQL Server uses). You might want to get a second opinion on the SQL book. Marc Creviere

 

[dschmootz]

Marc,

Thanks VERY much for your advice!

 

[tekistry]

'Mastering Windows 2000 Server by Mark Minasi'
is fantastic - I would not have been able to upgrade my domain without it. Nick