Win2k vs NT4.0

[AaronLaLonde]

I have a client currently running SBS 4.0 with exchange 5.5. It is time for a hardware upgrade and we are contemplating moving to Win2k server and exchange 2000. They currently have 3 servers <1 sbs 2 nt4.0> one of the nt servers is running sql and an ip telephone app. I cannot find any articles to convince me to move to 2k for a firm of ~50 users. Everything I am finding is telling me that all the new features of the products only benifit larger and multi office companies.

Can anyone provide some insight to this? The firm partners wants to move to the new versions, but i suspect it is for bragging purposes on the golf course. Also, would it seem logical, that if we went with the new software, to complete the upgrades over the weekend?

Thanks
Aaron

 

[jjgraf]

I just went through such an upgrade.

3 servers

Server 1:
Primary domain Controller/File/Print/Anti Virus
Server 2:
ERP Software/Flat Cobol Database/SQL Server
Server 3:
Mail/Proxie/IIS

I learned this much DON'T UPGRADE THE DOMAIN CONTROLLER IT DOES NOT WORK

When you an upgrade it misses all kinds of setup's involoing DNS, and security.

You need to know DNS, Active Directory, Group Policy, and TCP/IP inside and out.

This upgrade is a slow processes and can not be in a single weekend by one person

I tried and Failed.

This last Thursday i just installed some hot fixes and the dam Active Directory got all screwed up. I have not slept since then.

By the way people i had backups, that is the only reason i was able to get back up in only 3 days

is W2K a neat little toy YES is it worth the Upgrade NO

I was forced by the ERP vendor, Customers wanting more features and W2K offered them more cheaply.

At this point i would wait for XP server.

 

[cmptrnerd]

I saw in one of the Network magazines, that an independent testing company was testing SQL server with win2k Versus NT4.0 and they were so shocked by the results that they were given that they contacted Microsoft and they sent engineers, and they were not able to change the results.
Microsoft the told the independent firm that they could not release these results, since someware in the license agreement, forbid the printing of test results. I doubt they were upset because Win2k was beating NT40 on these results !!!!!

Yhe morel of the story is you do not have to upgrade everything to to win2k, maybe just your nt4.0 servers.
The other person had troubles doing this, but it can be done. The guidlines for doing this is to take your BDC's offline and upgrade your PDC, then if you have a problem you can promote your BDC to a PDC, or if everything goes O.K. upgrade your BDC to active directory.

Note if you upgrade your PDC to Win2k and then add your
new WIn2k server to the directory, you can then remove old hardware.

What makes you think XP will be any easier. I prefer WIN2k to NT4.0, way more capabilities. XP is just way for MSOFT to make sure all products are registered and legal. What was the difference btween Dos 5, Dos 6 and Dos 6.2 or Win95, Win98 and Millen ???

Mark
mark@acsconsult.com