Re: Question about installing a new Win 2003 Server


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Subject: Re: Question about installing a new Win 2003 Server
Name: admin
Date: 2/8/2006 8:57:04 AM (GMT-7)
IP Address: 216.113.195.221
In Reply to: Question about installing a new Win 2003 Server posted by TheZodiac
Message:

If your goal is to create a new Active Directory Domain with the same name as your old NT4/2k domain, and then manually recreate the user/group/coumuter accounts, then you'd do the following:

1) During install join the default workgroup.

2) After install run the "configure your server wizard" in the administrative tools. Install DNS and WINS first. You may also need DHCP if your old server was providing DHCP services.

3) Configure the new server to use itself as its primary DNS and WINS server.

4) Then use the same wizard to install Active directory. During this process I'd recommend unpluging the new server from the network so the Netbios/Wins services/client does not get confused (I've had wierd messages crop up when two same named domains are on the same network - I think due to the netbios brodcasts that happen)

5) Recreate user and group accounts on the new server.

6) Logon to each workstation as the local administrator (if you don't know the local administrator passwords login to the workstations with the domain administrator and reset the local administrator passwords). Then have each workstation leave the domain by joining a workgroup. Now to join the new domain you can either switch all workstations to the workgroup first then swap the server and rejoin the domain, or setup a new newtork for the new server and migtate them one at a time. For the workstations to be able to find the new server they will need to use it as their primary DNS server (and Primary WINS recommended). This would be done either manually or through DHCP. Keep in mind that you cannot switch directly from the old domain to the new because they have the same name. Also, when the users login to their workstations after it migrates they will get a new profile/desktop, so you may need to copy the desktop and reconfigure some software like their email client.

That covers the main issues, but you're likely to have others.

If your old domain is NT4, installing a temporairy NT4 PDC and upgrading it to 2003, then installing the new server to join the existing domin and finally removing the old servers avoids much of the pain described above, but has its own challenges. It is also not as clean.

Dennis

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