Re: Windows NT 4 domain to AD

Will Kubly wrote:
Hi

I am starting to look into converting or migrating a Windows NT domain to a Windows 2003 SP1 AD and had a few questions.

It looks like to preserve our current domain setup I can upgrade the NT domain controller to Windows 2003 to get our first AD controller on. However this is a 5 year old box that I have replaced with a new box. I only want to convert it so I can then bring up another AD from
our new 2003 servers and then shut this old box down.

That will work, but it might be an idea to install NT4 on a *new* box
and then upgrade that one. The advantage of your way is that you can
just demote the server and that is all, but if you do it the other way
you will have to manually remove references to the old NT4 box.

1. Can I use a Windows 2003 CD from one of my new Dell server to upgrade this box and then once I have transfered the roles etc to another licensed server drop it? Or will using the software CD from another server cause an issue?

If you install NT4 on a server then upgrade it to 2003 that is permitted
by the (new) 2003 license I believe. It's debatable whether or not a CD
from another *brand* of server will work on a server, because the
software may be modified by the vendor.

2. I am not sure what DNS to use on this box. When I deal with new AD
domains the DNS is often company.local. However as this is an NT domain its Company_bender which does not strick me as a DNS name I can use. Internally my DNS is company.local.

The old NT Domain name is a NetBIOS name and will remain. You can call
your new AD Domain 'company.local' if you wish, I believe.

Or I could migrate the NT domain over to one of the 2003 boxes. The tools and documentation look good. It about 80 IDs and 60 PCs with about 20 PCs setup across a Site to Site 786 VPN.

I'd research both methods and see which suits your situation best. This
is something that can't be decided without a great deal of information
about your setup.

It just seems to me that converting is easier except for the software
and DNS issues that I am unsure about. Or is it easier to migrate?

Your call! I've done it both ways (a long time ago!). It depends a lot
on what your setup is. People can advise you on technical points, but
ultimately it is your decision.

Cheers,

Cliff
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NT to W2K3 Migration
    ... How to Upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 ... Best Practice Active Directory Design for Managing Windows Networks ... ensure that you have designed a DNS ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)
  • Re: NT Domain to AD migration
    ... Windows 2000/XP always prefer Kerberos authentication, ... Server 2003 Active Directory service, ensure that you have designed a DNS ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)
  • Re: Migrating NT4 to Windows 2003
    ... Migrating from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 ... How to Upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 ... Best Practice Active Directory Design for Managing Windows Networks ... ensure that you have designed a DNS ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)
  • RE: 2003 AD/DNS question
    ... You can only upgrade Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition to Windows ... You should configure DNS Server during upgrade. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.migration)
  • Re: NT to W2K3 Migration
    ... You cannot just promote a member server to AD. ... upgrade your PDC to windows 2000 or 2003, whichever flavor of AD you want to ... Upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0 ... ensure that you have designed a DNS ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)
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