Tech Support > Operating Systems > Windows 2003 > Implement Windows 2003 A/D server with NT 4.0 PDC
Implement Windows 2003 A/D server with NT 4.0 PDC
Posted by Garry on March 5th, 2004


I have inherited admin duties for a domain that has just one domain controller, an NT 4.0 PDC. A new Dell server has arrived preloaded with Windows 2003. The current NT 4.0 server is not powerful enough to support Windows Server 2003. Other than reloading the Windows 2003 server with NT 4.0 server, building it as a BDC, promoting it to PDC, and then upgrading it to Windows 2003 server, how can I implement the server and then implement Active Directory? Thanks!

Posted by Ulf B. Simon-Weidner [MVP] on March 5th, 2004


says...

if you want to do a upgrade (which I would prefer in this case) you need a
server which is able to run WS2k3. I don't know if your current PDC might be
able to run WS2k3 just for the migration or if you have any other BDCs to
fullfill that task. You'd also be able to perform the upgrade with a client
hardware (install as BDC, promote as PDC, upgrade to WS2k3 + dcpromo) and then
join the new Dell Server to that new domain and remove the upgrade-PC from the
domain after transfering the FSMO-Roles. Make sure you take care of replication
between the NT P/BDCs, and of the timesync in the AD-World.

Another way would be to use ADMT and do a migration of one domain to another,
but this will be more work since you'll have to change your domainname and
reinstall application, and move every server/client to the new domain. And you
need to take care of the Access Controll rights - during the migration you can
use the SID-History but you should clean it up afterwards.

Here are some KBs which will help:

Migrating from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...6a0-76f0-4e25-
8de0-19544062a6e6&displaylang=en

Active Directory Migration Tool Overview
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000...ctory/admt.asp

Domain Migration Cookbook (see Ch. 9 & 10 for ADMT)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?
url=/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/deploy/cookbook/cookchp1.asp

260871 HOW TO: Set Up ADMT for Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 Migration
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=260871

ADMT Download
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...788975b1-5849-
47079817-8c9773c25c6c&DisplayLang=en

322981 How to Troubleshoot Inter-Forest Password Migration with ADMTv2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=322981

322970 How to Troubleshoot Inter-Forest sIDHistory Migration with ADMTv2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=322970


Gruesse - Sincerely,

Ulf B. Simon-Weidner