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Make Current Domain Active Directory

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by rgbraze

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I have two servers in my network. A Windows NT 4.0 PDC and a Windows 2000 Server (not currently AD). What I want to do is to force my Windows 2000 Server to "become" my NT 4.0 PDC and then promote it to an Active Directory system. I need to retain my existing domain construct, services, users, etc. in the process.

If I attempt to create a new forest, etc. during the dcpromo, I lose all of my current domain access. It creates a brand new domain and new users, etc. I still need all of the old stuff, but I want to be able to make this system Active Directory. Right now, the Win2k system is running Exchange 5.5. The service account is from the domain. When I dcpromo, the service won't run, as the account no longer exists.

The whole reason for this exercise is to run Exchange 2000 on this system. I want to upgrade Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2000. Exchange 2000 requires AD to run. I need my domain info to run, thus, I need a method of making my Win2k system take over control of all of the security of my existing domain, upgrade it to AD and allow my current PDC to simply operate as a BDC in the new AD construct.

Any ideas on what will allow this to occur?

6 replies

by tony.colgrove

You will need to upgrade your PDC to Windows2000. This will automatically run dcpromo after the upgrade, and retain all users accounts.
When upgrading an existing domain to AD, you MUST upgrade your PDC first. No ifs, and or buts.
You may wish to install a second NT4 BDC, promote it, (so your original PDC is now a BDC) upgrade to Windows2000/Active Directory. Now you will be able to run dcpromo on your Exchange box (although my recommendation is to leave your Exchange box as a member server), leaving your original PDC now as a BDC. You can dcpromo your first Windows2000 server (dcpromo on a DC will demote it back to a member server) and take it offline. I would recommend having to AD DC's in your environment for fault tolerance though.

by terminator

You can't possibly do that, promote 2000 to NT PDC, what you have to do is:

Backup your PDC and test your backup
Ugrade your PDC to 2000, single tree, single domain, it will migrate your settings and then join the other W2000 to you new AD

W2000 by default runs on mixed mode (NT and 2000), but if you only have 2000 in there change it to native mode(only 2000)

Good luck

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