Migration to 2K from NT4 1

[ryoun1b]

Hello All,

I need some advice on doing an upgrade from NT4 to 2K server.

I have an NT 4 server which runs Exchange 5.5 and is also a BDC. This server is named "Slabongrade".

I have purchased new hardware and would like to make the migration to 2K as seamless to the users as possible, by sticking with the same server name when I migrate to 2K, however I do not want to do an in-place upgrade on the old hardware because there are doubts as to whether the old hardware's BIOS will support Win 2K.

Instead I wish to move all Users/Shares/Printers/and Exchange data to 2K on the new server.

My initial take on this was to take the following steps toward 2k migration:

1) use a new workstation as a staging server and load it as a new BDC, then promote it to a PDC, so we have a blank PDC with only the NT SAM data.

2) Copy all user data from the old Slabongrade BDC to the staging server PDC to be used to build the new slabongrade server's user share data.

3) Run Exmerge from the Exchange 2K CD on the old SLABONGRADE server to create PST files of the user's information store on Exchange. and Create a PST file of the public folders from the old 5.5 Exchange server.

4) Then I was going to do an in-place upgrade to the staging server to create my first DC in Active Domain.

5) Install windows 2k on the new server (to be the new "Slabongrade" server that runs Exchange and is now a DC). Install WINS, and DNS, and DHCP on this server as well.

6) Install Exchange 2K on the new server and run Exmerge to bring in the PST files saved on the staging server into the new SLABONGRADE server's Exchange version 2000.

7) Then try to do a fresh install on the old server SLABONGRADE, naming it NAILS, with Win 2K AD as a DC to see if I can use this machine as a DC to offload some of the authentication and printing or DNS work from the root DC.

Does anyone see any difficulties in the above process?

The main goal here is to do an upgrade of an existing server to new hardware and use the old hardware's server name over again to minimize any impact to the Win 2K and Win XP clients.

 

[brontosaurus]

I wouldn't upgrade Exchange until WELL after you've determined that the W2K upgrade is successful. Why give yourself an extra point of failure? Other than that, looks like a plan...

 

[quikslvr311]

I would definitely say get AD up and running and stable before you start an exchange 2k upgrade... I am in the process of working out bugs in a recent AD upgrade and it isn't very pretty. Once it finally becomes stable I plan on doing the exact approach you have...

 

[GlenJohnson]

Gotta agree with bronto and quickslvr311. Sounds like a plan, just make sure everything works before the Exchange. (Honest, don't know exchange, don't use it, but if bronto says test first, then test first.) Good luck. Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"What really happens is trivial in comparison to what could occur."
Robert von Musil (1880-1942); Austrian author.

 

[ryoun1b]

Hello Everyone,

I have one box for which I would like to install Windows 2000 Server as a fresh install.

Thanks for the helpful replies...

Once I have the new server running, I plan to install Windows 2000 Server on the old hardware (Old server). This machine has an older bios and will need the Standard Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)and also need to install 3rd party SCSI drivers for which I have a driver diskette.

To install the std-hal you press F7 at the beginning of the install.

To install the 3rd party SCSI drivers you press F6 at the beginning of the install.

Problem is I need to do both. How can I accomplish installing both at the beginning of the install for Windows 2000?

Thanks!

 

[ryoun1b]

In my testing I revealed that when installing you can press both F7 to force a standard HAL or F5 and choose the standard HAL, as well as press F6 to load SCSI drivers.

Procedure is to press F5 and F6 when prompted to press F6 to load 3rd party SCSI drivers.