upgrade NT BDC to 2K member server

  • Thread starter Thread starter BH
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BH

I have a NT server as BDC in a soon-to-be-extinguished NT
domain. I also have a separate (trusted and trusting)
Win2k AD domain. AD is running mixed mode, but I actually
don't have any NT servers in that domain- I could convert
it to native mode today if I wanted to (and my boss let
me).

I would like to upgrade the NT BDC to Win2000 and add it
to the Win2k domain as a member server, not a DC. Is this
possible in one move? That is, can I upgrade the server,
and as part of the upgrade, add it to the AD domain as a
member server, without any interior steps? I don't care
about its BDC status; as I said, the NT domain for which
it's a BDC is going away very soon, so if its security
info for the NT domain is lost, no one will care.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.
 
When you upgrade to Win 2k, the upgrade will see the server is a DC and
install AD. It will then be a Win 2k DC and running dcpromo to remove AD
will leave it as a Win 2k member server.

If it balks at upgrading because it is a BDC you can promote it to PDC and
do the upgrade. I would not add it to the Win 2k domain until you removed
AD. Then add it as a member server.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE
 
-----Original Message-----
When you upgrade to Win 2k, the upgrade will see the
server is a DC and install AD.
Click to expand...

So, it would be a Win2kDC, but in a domain with a NT40
PDC? I would expect that to fail like mad. It sounds
like I'll have to upgrade the PDC of the NT domain first,
make it AD, and then upgrade the BDC.

I could promote the BDC to PDC and then upgrade, as you
suggest, but then when I demoted it to member server, and
moved it to the new domain, wouldn't I end up with an
orphaned BDC in the old domain?

BH
 
So, it would be a Win2kDC, but in a domain with a NT40
PDC? I would expect that to fail like mad.
Click to expand...

Not really.
Since it is a NT 4.0 BDC which holds no writeable copy of the SAM, it would
be in a domain of it's own.
Upgrading a NT 4.0 domain MUST be done by upgrading the existing PDC first.
The NT 4.0 PDC is the only DC on a NT 4.0 domain that holds a writeable copy
of the SAM. Upgrading *any* *other* server on a NT 4.0 domain to Win 2k will
create a new domain. The SAM is different.
I could promote the BDC to PDC and then upgrade, as you
suggest, but then when I demoted it to member server, and
moved it to the new domain, wouldn't I end up with an
orphaned BDC in the old domain?
Click to expand...

I thought the NT 4.0 domain was "soon-to-be-extinguished"?
If you need to keep the NT 4.0 domain around, pull the NT 4.0 BDC offline,
promote to PDC, it will balk but it can be done, upgrade to Win 2k and AD,
run dcpromo to remove AD and make this a member server, add it to the new
domain. Delete the offline BDC from server manager on the NT domain.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE
 
I thought the NT 4.0 domain was "soon-to-be-extinguished"?
If you need to keep the NT 4.0 domain around, pull the NT 4.0 BDC offline,
promote to PDC, it will balk but it can be done, upgrade to Win 2k and AD,
run dcpromo to remove AD and make this a member server, add it to the new
domain. Delete the offline BDC from server manager on the NT domain.
Click to expand...

Thanks- I thought a bit more after I posted, and came up
with this as well. Thanks for the confirmation.

BH
 
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