Upgrading active directory from win 2000 to win 2003

[tperachio]

Looking for some info concerning upgrading our active directory form windows 2000 to windows 2003. i purchased 2 new servers with windows 2003, instead of upgrading the current machines running the windows 2000 active directory i will use the new machines and install active directory.
we are currently running on a separate machine another member server running windows 2003 with Exchange 2003, i believe the folks that installed this prior to me comming on board most likely ran forest prep before installing the exchange 2003.
my question is will it hurt to re-run forest prep and then domain prep? after the new ad's are install i will moved the master roles to 1 of the new servers and then demote the windows 2000 machine. if this won't work please advise.

 

[58sniper]

You'll have to rerun adprep. Since you're likely going to be using Server 2003 R2, use the version of adprep that's on the second R2 CD, not the first.

Run it on the schema master, using an account that's a member of the schema admins group.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[LWComputingMVP]

Here are some links that should get you going for upgrading a 2000 domain to 2003:

Common Mistakes When Upgrading a Windows 2000 Domain To a Windows 2003 Domain

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555040

Hotfixes to install before you run adprep /Forestprep on a Windows 2000 domain controller to prepare the Forest and domains for the addition of Windows Server 2003-based domain controllers

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=331161

Commodore.ca | Windows | How To Upgrade Windows 2000 Domain to Windows 2003 Server
Quote from the top of this article: "Several glossy Microsoft presenters have stated that all you need to do to complete a Windows 2003 Domain upgrade is run ADPREP and then upgrade away. This may work for very small / simple environments but it is definitely not good advice for most companies. After upgrading five servers in two unrelated domains and installing many fresh copies of 2003 I can say that I personally would not skip a single step in the process I have developed below."

http://www.commodore.ca/windows/windows_2003_upgrade.htm

How can I transfer some or all of the FSMO Roles from one DC to another?

http://www.petri.co.il/transferring_fsmo_roles.htm

How To Create or Move a Global Catalog in Windows 2000

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=313994

[If you run Exchange 2000] Windows Server 2003 adprep /forestprep Command Causes Mangled Attributes in Windows 2000 Forests That Contain Exchange 2000 Servers

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=314649

Windows Server 2003 Upgrade Assistance Center

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/upgrading/nt4/upgradeassistance/default.mspx

[If using R2 release of Windows 2003] Extending Your Active Directory Schema for New Features in Windows Server 2003 R2

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...03-84DD-480F-98F9-526EC09E9BA8&displaylang=en

How to move a DHCP database from a computer that is running Windows NT Server 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows Server 2003 to a computer that is running Windows Server 2003

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=325473

How can I move a DHCP database from one server to another?

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/13473/13473.html

How can I move DNS from one Windows 2000 Server to another Windows 2000 Server?
(Two Related if going 2000 to 2003 - read both before moving)

http://www.jsifaq.com/subG/TIP3300/rh3357.htm

http://www.jsifaq.com/SUBN/tip6700/rh6731.htm

 

[Stevehewitt]

If your Win2k environment hasn't been managed very well over the past few years then AD could have got a bit messy under the hood. (As I am finding out now at a company that's done all their own IT by themselves - bloody developers! ;-))

DCDIAG from the resource kit it very good at pointing out problems before and I would recommend using that first to make sure that basics of AD are all OK before proceeding.

Cheers,




Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson