Replacing a 2003 Server

[hairstraightback]

I have taken over the administration of a small domain running MS Server 2003.

The server is 4 years old, and in bad shape, needs to be replaced, and there are some vague OS problems developing too, as well as some strange issues in the dns server.

I build a new server, brought it onsite, joined it to the domain, made it a secondary controller, and then promoted it. However, due to a number of frs problems, the old server would not demote. This is a small local domain, with only 15 users, running TS, ftp, dhcp, and dns, ad integrated. I fought with it for a couple of days, and now I've decided to reintall w2k3 on the new server, (doing this offsite). I think my best option is to configure the new server with the same domain name and computer name as the old server, and the same IP address, and pack it in there, and pull the old server out.

domain: acme.local
ip: 192.168.1.2
computer name: server (yeah, really imaginative)

can I just do a backup of the ad, and restore it on to the new server, or is this guid and or sid dependent?

or do I need to use ADMT, and create slightly different domain and server names?

 

[technome]

You could join the new machine as a DC, and seize the FSMO roles, after removing the present FSMO from the network PERMANENTLY, but....

(If the old server is the only DC)
If the old server is truly screwed up, and you manage to get the AD (etc.) info from the old server to the new one, there will always be the lingering doubt about the info transferred. If a strange issue appears on the new server, you will be wishing you started from scratch. An AD system restore will not do it.
A 15 users FSMO is not a super big deal to create fresh (tedious and detailed yes). I would stay with the same name, IP etc though it may not save a tremendous amount of time... you still need to rejoin the wks to the new FSMO server.

I am in the same boat..I just inherited a disaster Windows SBS server setup. The guy who set it up must have followed the manual "How to screw up a server in EVERY possible way" ...it is amazing it even boots ( boots from 1 of 4 installation instances), guess he missed a chapter.


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Chernobyl disaster..a must see pictorial

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm