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Upgrade Win2003 Domain Controller to new hardware platform and upgrade to 2008 R2 at the same time. I am looking for advice on the best method.

We have 6 or 7 other member servers in the domain and backup domain controllers and about 300 users on the system. We would appreciate some advice on the best method for doing this migration as painlessly as possible.

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Brian Pierce

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tcn_ltd

ASKER

Thanks KCTS: for the prompt and detailed reply.
I was hoping to avoid having to change all of the clients DNS settings. Is there any way of transfering the IP address to the new server?

sire_harvey

As KCTS advised: Change all of the clients (and the new 2008 DC itself), to point to the 2008 DC for their preferred DNS server this may be in DHCP options or the TCP/IP settings.

So change the preferred DNS Server in the DHCP Options in on the 2008 Server. Client machines using the Scope set up on the 2008 DHCP server will use the DNS server configured in that scope.

tcn_ltd

ASKER

Since there are several BDCs running 2003 AD what would need to be done to upgrade their schema to 2008? Also, how can we retain the same machine name on 2008 that was used for the 2003 PDC?

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Mike Kline

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Darius Ghassem

To use the old Domain Controller's name you need to take a couple of steps. First you need to demote the old server. Go into DNS delete all DNS records for this DC.

Change the IP address to the old DC's IP on the new DC. I still like to go through the 2003 link.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794931(WS.10).aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc758579(WS.10).aspx

You can then change the name of the current DC by going through this link

http://www.petri.co.il/rename-windows-server-2008-domain-controllers.htm

tcn_ltd

ASKER

mkline71 Do we not need to install anything on the 2003 BDC to allow them to accept the 2008 schema?

Darius Ghassem

No as long as you have ran adprep /forestprep on your schema master and adprep /domainprep on your infrastructure master then this will replicate the schema update to the rest of your 2003 DCs.

Darius Ghassem

https://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/A_3644-Windows-2008-Server-R2-adprep-adprep32.html

tcn_ltd

ASKER

ok thanks for everyone's help

Glen Knight

This question has been classified as abandoned and is being closed as part of the Cleanup Program. See my comment at the end of the question for more details.