NT4 > 2003 upgrade, upgraded PDC not new DC

[Big0range]

I'm upgrading an NT domain to 2003. I have a machine I've built specifically to be the upgrade machine (Once the domain is upgraded, I have all-new servers I'll incorporate). I've installed NT4 as a BDC, run SP6a, promote to PDC, run the 2003 upgrade from the CD. After upgrading the OS, I can only create a new domain tree; that is to say I can only create a new subdomain like new.domain.com instead of just making it domain.com. I've pored over the technet articles and at this step they all just say "upgrade the pdc" and it should automatically see that it's the only 2003 DC and install DNS and AD. So I've got a 2003 domain controller for new.domain.com instead of the upgraded domain.com, and the BDCs in the domain.com all insist they can't find the PDC until I promote one of them (still NT4).

What have I missed or done wrong???

 

[Blutch]

Is this domain name already existing in your structure, over a WAN or over the internet???

 

[Big0range]

The domain is a live, public domain. I'm trying to perform the upgrade in place, side-by-side along the existing servers.

 

[JVKAdmin]

Hi,

I would be interested in hearing the results of this experience as I too am a little confused about the DNS namespace issues. Did you already have an NT4 DNS server running when doing the upgrade that was configured for domain.com ? If so, couldn't you just simply turn off the existing DNS server's temporarily and then do the upgrade and install a fresh DNS making it domain.com's DNS server ?

Has anyone had experience/problems upgrading to a Windows 2003 AD domain with an existing DNS structure ?

Kevin

 

[GuyThomas]

Two places I would check.

DNS

Have you installed DNS ahead of the promotion?

System Icon, Computer Name ...more.

What I find is that either the upgrade works easily first time, or else you have to trash the new machine and start again making different selections, particularly with DNS. Where ever possible select options like "Let the Install Configure DNS".


Although it does not answer the question, have you considered a different tactic. Create a brand new domain, then migrate users?

See more general advice here.

http://computerperformance.co.uk/w2k3/w2k3_migratevupgrade.htm

Guy Thomas

'Best Practice' Ezine

http://computerperformance.co.uk/Ezines.htm

 

[JVKAdmin]

Hi,

I haven't really pursued the option of migration. To me it seemed like more work but I could be wrong.

What I'd really like to know is whether anyone has upgraded an NT4 network with an existing primary DNS server (not on the PDC you are upgrading)? currently we have most of our servers and workstations configured with our domain.com suffix added. We have our dns server forwarding requests to our ISP's DNS for all other domain requests. We also have a few static entries in our DNS to point things in domain.com that we need to access on our DMZ and where the ISP's entries conflict. for example

http://www.domain.com

has to be a private address for internal clients on our internal DNS due to Network Address Translation.

My second question is when upgrading an NT4 PDC to windows 2003 server does it ask you if you want to set up a new DNS domain and install DNS for you, also does it go and try to look for an existing DNS server (on another server in the domain)? If so is the best method to turn off the NT4 DNS server (on the other server) and let the installation set up and configure the new windows 2003 DNS server and allow you to create your domain of corporatedomain.domain.com for example? I'd test this myself but I'm a little short on test servers at the moment.

My third question is how important is the domain suffix entry on the client/server when installing Active Directory ? Will the clients automatically pick up the new suffix if a corporatedomain.domain.com say for exmaple is then installed as the internal domain versus the existing domain.com that everything currently is in? Will those clients then be a member of the corporatedomain.domain.com instead of domain.com ?

Thanks

Kevin