Changing a server from a workgroup to join a domain
I have 2 servers, both are windows 2003 standard edition service pack 2, we will call them serverA.local and serverB
ServerA.local is the domain controller and serverB is not part of the domain it is part of a workgroup of which to my knowledge...it is the only computer in the workgroup, not sure as to why it would have been set up as a workgroup and not part of the domain but it was done before i started working for this company, in ServerA.local under A.D. users and computers I noticed that the ServerB is under computers but is disabled which i guess makes sense because it is not part of the domain... it is used for accountiing, plant records, etc. I want to change this server to join the local domain because i am running symantecs backup exec 11d software to back up some remote servers in another office on another domain, a trust relationship has already been established between the 2 domains and i am able to communicate between the 2 domains but am running into issues finding the 2 remote servers from ServerB, I assume the reasoning is that server B is not on the domain but instead is part of a workgroup, i am guessing that joining server B to join ServerA.local domain will resolve the issue as far as being able to find the remote server through My Network Places when i do a search and by doing so will allow me to create backup jobs in backup exec? My only question is that if i do change ServerB to join the local domain is will it affect anybody being able to use the resources that are currently running on ServerB? I assume if you were to change a computer for example from a workgroup to join a domain that you could have some issues because a different profile is created and you might not be able to access some resources? I am not sure if this would be the same with changing serverB from a workgroup to join a domain?
ServerA.local is the domain controller and serverB is not part of the domain it is part of a workgroup of which to my knowledge...it is the only computer in the workgroup, not sure as to why it would have been set up as a workgroup and not part of the domain but it was done before i started working for this company, in ServerA.local under A.D. users and computers I noticed that the ServerB is under computers but is disabled which i guess makes sense because it is not part of the domain... it is used for accountiing, plant records, etc. I want to change this server to join the local domain because i am running symantecs backup exec 11d software to back up some remote servers in another office on another domain, a trust relationship has already been established between the 2 domains and i am able to communicate between the 2 domains but am running into issues finding the 2 remote servers from ServerB, I assume the reasoning is that server B is not on the domain but instead is part of a workgroup, i am guessing that joining server B to join ServerA.local domain will resolve the issue as far as being able to find the remote server through My Network Places when i do a search and by doing so will allow me to create backup jobs in backup exec? My only question is that if i do change ServerB to join the local domain is will it affect anybody being able to use the resources that are currently running on ServerB? I assume if you were to change a computer for example from a workgroup to join a domain that you could have some issues because a different profile is created and you might not be able to access some resources? I am not sure if this would be the same with changing serverB from a workgroup to join a domain?
I can't see there will be any big issue. You might need to reconfigure client access to the server but that is fairly simple. I suggest you remove the AD record of ServerB before joining it to the domain. As SysExpert stated if there is someone who actually log onto the server and use it as a workstation his/her user profile on that server would change. Your applications shouldn't be affected.
While you are considering joining the server and use it to backup remote servers, I need to stress that backing up over a ADSL line is VERY slow. Unless you have a dedicated line between the sites (e.g. T1 line or SDSL) which gives you a fast uploading speed. Even if you have a 8Mb broadband connection your "uploading" rate is approx 0.5Mbps and sometimes less. You may even get Time-out error if you backup remote site.
While you are considering joining the server and use it to backup remote servers, I need to stress that backing up over a ADSL line is VERY slow. Unless you have a dedicated line between the sites (e.g. T1 line or SDSL) which gives you a fast uploading speed. Even if you have a 8Mb broadband connection your "uploading" rate is approx 0.5Mbps and sometimes less. You may even get Time-out error if you backup remote site.
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2) You need to see if anyone is actually logging in to ServerB, If not then ther should not be any issues with profiles, since it is a workgroup. If there are logins to serverB, then yes, the profiles could change.
In Any case I would try to do testing on a test box to insure a smooth conversion, and make sure you ahve a ful backup of ServerB beforehand.
I hope this helps !