Upgrade from NT

[JCDugas]

I'm in the process of upgrading, or planning, my NT Domain to AD. I currently have a Windows 2000 WINS/DNS/DHCP server and all other servers in my domain, except my PDC and BDC's are Windows 2000.

My questions to you are...

1. I want to install an old server as a Windows NT BDC, promote it to a PDC and upgrade it to 2000. I wish to do it this way to save all my current domain information and not start from scratc and also so I can reformat the hard drive on my current PDC and install a fresh copy of 2000. After I install my new AD server, I plan to take the upgraded server out of the network. Is there anything I should be aware of? FSMO Rolls?

2. If I upgrade my PDC to Windows 2000 AD, will I need to upgrade my BDC's at the sametime or will AD talk with my BDC will in mixed mode? The only reason I'm asking this is because a vendor I use told me that my BDC would become standalone servers once I installed AD even in mixed mode. I think I'm correct by saying that my BDC will still be able to perform like BDC's using AD in mixed mode?

3. When I get my other BDC's upgraded to 2k and AD, will my older clients need to have the AD client software installed on the PC's at this time or before going to AD at all?

4. When do I need to give permission to my DNS, WINS, and DHCP servers to allow them to participate in my AD, after changing over to native mode or before?

5. One more question, should I upgrade my Exchange 5.5 server to Exchange 2000 server, before or after I upgrade my domain to AD?

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[djhawthorn]

1. If your talking about taking the new BDC upgraded to the PDC upgraded to W2K AD offline, then there will be problems as the first box in a W2K AD domain contains 5 roles that only one W2K domain controller runs - things such as the RID Master and PDC Emulator roles. You will need to learn how to migrate these roles to another W2K domain controller before taking this box offline.

2. No. The PDC Emulator (which is a W2K domain controller service running on the first W2K DC) will replicate changes to the NT4 BDCs. Note though, in this "mixed mode" some W2K specific things (like Universal Groups) will not be available to you.

3. You don't need to install AD client software unless you want them to be able to search the AD structure. As above though, until all clients/servers are W2K or above, you will not have all the W2K features available to you.

4. You only need to authorise a server service if its a Windows 2000 service only. Windows NT4 based ones won't care if its authorised or not. This authorisation process is independant of mixed or native mode.

5. After, and onto a W2K Sever box. Exchange 2000 modifies the W2K schema to add things like an "Email" field to a users account. MCSE NT4/W2K