How to replace AD with new generation server?

[Staygreen]

I have Single Windows 2003 Active Directory Server for my domain.
Today, I plan to replace the AD server with new server which have different hardware parts with the current AD server. I wonder whether there is a way to backup the current AD server configuration and recovery it on the new AD server. Any ideas?

 

[baddos]

The supported way to do this, would be to add the new server to the existing domain as a member server and promote it to a domain controller. After being promoted to a DC, you would transfer the roles over and then run dcpromo on the original server and remove it from the domain.

 

[paulhthomas]

yeah, I'd agree with baddos on this one.
Don't forget that when you want to make the switch over, that you update your clients/dhcp settings to point to the new server's IP for DNS resolution.

Paul

Paul Thomas
Important IT

http://www.ImportantIT.com