Windows 2000 BDC in WIndows NT4.0 domain 2

[delski]

Hi, Could anyone tell me if it's possible to have a Windows 2000 server as a BDC in a Windows NT4.0 domain.

thanks.....

 

[Andyleates]

Following copied from experts exchange

You cannot run an NT 4 domain with a Windows 2000 domain controller. If you load W2K server then run DCPROMO, the wizard will install Active Directory. There is no way to make it an NT 4 dc. Also, if you do not update the existing PDC to W2K and Active Directory, you will have 2 different domains (assuming you made the W2K server a domain controller with a domain of the similar name). This will cause all kinds of problems with users trying to access resources on the existing NT domain.

You are probably thinking that you can still have NT 4 domain controllers in the domain. This is true. You would be operating in mixed mode (OS levels of the domain controllers are different). You need to remember that the first W2K domain controller installed will take on the role of PDC master, which is the role assigned to maintain downward compatibility between OS levels. Your NT dc's will all now be bdc's and like before will have a "read-only" version of the domain's SAM database. (One of the powers of W2K and AD is that all domain controllers have a writable version of the SAM.)

There are tons of articles on the MS technet site about upgrading from NT to W2K or W2K3. Go to support.microsoft.com and start searching.

Andy Leates MCSE CCNA MCP+I

 

[delski]

Thanks for that Andy, I'm actually trying to upgrade our exchange from 5.5 to 2003. We have two mail servers. Our primary mail serrver is running nt4.0 server and exchange 5.5. Our secondary is running Win2k server and exchange 5.5. Our primary mail server is also our BDC for our NT4.0 domain. I want to upgrade that server to Windows 2000 server prior to the mail upgrade. I am under the impression that a primary mail server should also be a BDC. We have no other BDC on site. If I upgrade the mail server to win2k server can it still be a BDC in out NT4.0 domain, does the primary mail server have to be a BDC or can I just build another BDC....Thanks for you time so far.

Derek.

 

[globalstrata]

Exchange 2003 requires Active Directory but the server does not need to be a Domain Controller. However, you must have a Active Directory Domain Controller in the Domain. This means that you will need to upgrade your PDC to 2000 or 2003 (If you want to take full advantage of Exchange 2003 features, I would recommend you to go with Windows 2003).

The way you can do this is Upgrade your primary mail server and when you finish the upgrade, this server will be converted as the Active Directory "PDC" and then you can upgrade the rest of the servers slowly.

Here is some information that may help you later on:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=822942

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;272314

http://download.microsoft.com/docum...ing_Exchange_Server_2003-Technet_Roadshow.ppt

Gladys Rodriguez
GlobalStrata Solutions

http://www.globalstrata.com