I would build an NT4 BDC on the domain, yank it off the main network and in the lab promote it to PDC, build another NT4 BDC (so you can retry if the process is wrong), upgrade the NT4 PDC to W2K, build and promote a fresh W2K Server. See how the process goes and get familiar with it and run some tests against that little test domain and make sure there really isn't any data that you lose that you aren't comfortable with losing so you can work out processes to not lose it. There are obviously missing details here (like setting up a little dns and this needs to be off the main network).
This will get you the comfort level you want for this and the timing and then you can sell your bosses and then you can schedule the modification in production. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rocky Habeeb Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 7:35 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Joe, Thank you for responding to my question, in light of the work you do and the others. I'm sorry I did not respond before, but I've been under attack. Our AD is very unpopulated. It contains nothing more than what migrates over during a Win2K Domain upgrade. We do not run Exchange or any other AD aware application. I'm really not concerned with "losing much". I don't know what I would lose but if Users could still log on, access reources and work away, I would consider it a success. What I am concerned with is the potential for a train wreck and getting called on the carpet, the former, more than the latter. Rocky ___________________________________________________ -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Joe Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 1:46 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] You guys amaze me! Right up front, the domain rename scares me. Everyone seems to say, yeah it is there but.... Before I answer anything else though, what kind of data do you have in AD? Is it the basic NOS stuff or have you deployed Exchange or other AD aware apps that have populated it? My guess is you aren't doing a lot with AD yet so most likely following option two doesn't lose much if any information that you can't export off into LDIFs and reimport after you are back to W2K DC's. Pay isn't bad. However, in relative terms you are probably doing better. 100 users per admin versus our ratio of something like 83000 users per admin and I would be lucky to be making 5x-10x what you make let alone 830x.... On the flip side though, you probably haven't put a provisioning system and auto password reset system into place - yet. :op joe -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rocky Habeeb Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2003 10:06 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'm serious. Here is a question for you. As always, if you could offer any info, I would be very grateful. We're a small shop with only 2 Admins managing 200 users in 4 states and we don't have the firepower you guys do. Let's say you don't like your AD domain name and you want to change it. You have 4 DCs, 3 each W2K SP3 and 1 each NT4 SP6a, so you're still in mixed mode. You could move the NT DC to 2K, then move everyone to W2K3, then raise the Forest functionality level and then play Russian Roulette with Rendom. That's one option. Or could it be as simple as DCPromoing all 3 W2K3 servers down to Standalone servers, allowing the NT4 DC which still controls the pre-W2K subdomain name to take full control of the domain again, and then DCPromoing one of the 3 W2K DCs back up to W2K as the FSMO and renaming the domain to what you want? I would love to believe I could do it and get away with it. Thank you people. PS: I don't envy you Joe. I hope you're being paid well! RH ------------------------------------------------- Rocky Habeeb Microsoft Systems Administrator ------------------------------------------------- James W. Sewall Company Old Town, Maine ------------------------------------------------- 207.827.4456 habr @ jws.com www.jws.com ------------------------------------------------- List info : http://www.activedir.org/mail_list.htm List FAQ : http://www.activedir.org/list_faq.htm List archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/activedir%40mail.activedir.org/ List info : http://www.activedir.org/mail_list.htm List FAQ : http://www.activedir.org/list_faq.htm List archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/activedir%40mail.activedir.org/ List info : http://www.activedir.org/mail_list.htm List FAQ : http://www.activedir.org/list_faq.htm List archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/activedir%40mail.activedir.org/ List info : http://www.activedir.org/mail_list.htm List FAQ : http://www.activedir.org/list_faq.htm List archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/activedir%40mail.activedir.org/
