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Active Directory 2000-Mixed mode

I am running into an issue with my Exchange 2003 server requiring my Global Catalog server to be on a Windows 2003 Server. Unfortunately, we are still using AD2000 on a Windows 2000 server. Without upgrading my domain to 2003 (which is what I think we did when we installed exchagne 2003), is it possible to make my 2003 server a domain controller and Global Catalog Server?

zelron22

During the procedure for installing Exchange 2003 you would have had to extend the schema to support Exchange 2003. Although this adds things to the 2000 schema, it isn't a full upgrade of active directory to 2003.

If you're asking if you can promote your Exchange 2003 member server to a domain controller, you can not. At least, not without removing Exchange first. Technically, the promotion would work, but Exchange would not. Once Exchange is installed, you can neither promote nor demote the server. If it's installed on a domain controller the machine has to remain a domain controller.

In order to upgrade your domain to 2003 you need to run the adprep /forestprep and adprep /domainprep off of the Server 2003 media.

I would recommend against promoting any production server to a domain controller as it will change permissions on it. You should take a new server and promote that to 2003.

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derekcook39

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