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Copying/Migrating/Upgrading Domain Controllers and Schema

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julsonal

MIS
Nov 30, 2011
4
US
My company has a Windows 2003 DC running Server 2000 schema. I have to copy the current domain configuration to a test environment, upgrade the schema to 2008, and then move it on a new Server 2008 machine and make that the new DC. What are the steps involved in accomplishing this? Any help is appreciated.
 
Take a backup of the DC. Restore it onto a server in the lab. Upgrade away.

Just make sure that your lab environment doesn't have any way to communicate with your production network, or you will cause serious problems that may be very difficult to fix if that DC tries to replicate.



________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
MCITP:Virtualization Administrator 2008 R2
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator
 
Thanks but I need more specific information. Forgive my ignorance but this is the first time I am doing this. I want to make sure I have this right -

Use Backup Exec to backup the system state and then on the test computer run dcpromo /adv and point to the backed up system state files to restore the current domain?

If I want to do a schema upgrade on the test environment from 2000 to 2008 should which OS should be on my test DC? 2003 or 2008? I was thinking starting with 2003 then do an OS upgrade to 2008 but in hind site that seems redundant. Any thoughts?

Finally, when I transfer the test DC to the new network DC, how do I make sure that the new DC is the primary DC?

Thanks again for the help.
 
Backup your entire DC, including system state. Restore it in the test lab (that is completely isolated from your production network). Verify that AD is working in your test lab. Upgrade your schema from 2000 to 2003. Install a Windows 2008 R2 server in the test lab, join it to the domain in the test lab. Make it a DC, use it to upgrade your schema to 2008 or 2008 R2.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
MCITP:Virtualization Administrator 2008 R2
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator
 
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