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In this article we are going to upgrade our Windows 2003 Domain Controller to a Windows 2008 Domain Controller by performing an in-place upgrade.
First i’ve build an clean Windows 2003 x64 Server and promoted the server to a new domain controller of upgrade.local.
(note: if you want to upgrade your Windows 2000 Domain Controller to Windows 2008, you’ve first have to do an in-place upgrade to Windows 2003!)
Note: make sure you’ve at least 14000 Mb (14 Gb) free space available on your system partition.
Now place the Windows 2008 DVD in your computer, or mount it in your virtual environment.
Browse to your DVD player (in my environment it’s D:) and go to the following folder D:\sources\adprep.
First we’re going to prepare our forest with the following command: adprep /forestprep. After this command, we’re going to prepare our domain: adprep /domainprep.
Introduction
I have been using Windows Server 2003 for years and I believe its time to shift and try using Windows Server 2008, I have downloaded RC0 and decided to Upgrade my Domain Controller, which is also a DNS & DHCP Server to Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition RC0. In this article, I will show you step by step how to perform an in-place upgrade for a Domain Controller from Windows Server 2003 To Windows Server 2008 RC0
Upgrade Steps
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On you Windows Server 2003 DC, insert the Windows Server 2008 DVD, and then open command prompt and run the following commands, make sure first to browse to the adprep directory inside the Windows 2008 DVD , in my case case, the F drive is the DVD Drive letter, so to browse to the adprep directory I would write the following inside cmd: cd f:\sources\adprerp
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adprep/ forestprep
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adprep/ domainprep
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adprep/ rodcprep (Optional, if you plan to add a Read Only Domain Controller Later)
2. If the Install Windows page did not auto run before the previous step, double click on your DVD drive where you have inserted the Windows Server 2008 DVD, then Click on Install now
3. A please wait screen will be followed, then a page to decide what to do, either to go online and get the latest updates for installation or to skip going online by clicking on the Do not get the latest updates for installation option
I will perform the updates later, so for the purpose of this article, I will click on Do not get the latest updates for installation
4. Enter the product key, click Next
5. Accept the license terms and click on Next
6. What we need to do is to upgrade our server, so click on the Upgrade option
7. The compatibility report will be displayed telling you what hardware might not function once upgrade is completed , also to check with software vendors to check if their software are compatible with Windows Server 2008. click Next
8. Upgrade is now in process
9. The Server will be restarted automatically several times, the Upgrade process will continue with the remaining operations:
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Expanding Files
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Installing Features and updates
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Completing Upgrade
After multiple restarts, the Upgrade process will be completed and you will be able to start using your Windows Server 2008.
Summary
In this article, I showed you how to do an in-place upgrade for Windows Server 2003 Domain Controller to Windows Server 2008. The steps are easy and straightforward, just make sure while reading the compatibility report, if any of the hardware/software installed on your Server are compatible with Windows Server 2008.
Tarek Majdalani is an accomplished Windows Expert-IT Pro MVP, honored by Microsoft for eight consecutive years from 2007-2015. Holding a B.E. in Computer Engineering from the Lebanese American University, he pursued further education while working, earning various certificates showcased in his MVP profile. Tarek is currently serving as the Director of Engineering & Technology at Alrai Media Group in Kuwait. Since 2006, he has been actively contributing to the community by writing tutorials featuring tips and tricks, amassing over 300 tutorials on diverse systems.
My customer asked me to upgrade their Windows 2003 web server last week, as we know, Windows Server 2003 extended support ended on July 14,2015, Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for any version of Windows Server 2003. Unfortunately, I noticed the Web server is Windows 2003 x86 server, there is no way to in-place upgrade it to x64, the only way is upgrade it to Windows Server 2008 x86, it will give a couple years to prepare web server migration plan at least. Let’s follow step by step to upgrade it.
- Logon to Windows 2003 Server and mount Windows 2008 Server OS media to it.
- Copy all files and folders from Windows 2008 server OS media to Windows 2003 Server local drive.
- Uninstall Hyper-V integration services from Windows 2003 server, you will show follow error after upgrade if you didn’t uninstall it.
4. Uninstall FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions from Add or Remove Programs.
5. The Upgrade is grey out if you didn’t uninstall FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions.
6. Uninstall Windows SharePoint Services from Add or Remove Programs.
7. You may happen follow error when you upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008 if you forgot to uninstall PowerShell before upgrade.
8. I know that there is no easy way to uninstall PowerShell from Windows Server 2003, so you can just rename the windowspowershell folder at C:\WINDOWS\system32.
9. After uninstall all of above programs, you can run the Windows Server 2008 setup.exe from local drive (c:\Post-Install\Windows 2008 SP2), select Upgrade and then follow the steps to do upgrade process.
10. You may notice follow errors after upgrade Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2008 Server, then you need continue steps to fix issues.
11. Change C:\Windows\servicing\Packages folder owner to local administrator.
12. Assign Full Control permissions to local Administrator.
13. Copy C:\Windows\servicing\Packages from other windows 2008 server (which is without issues) to this server.
14. Click Start and type Dcomcnfg.exe.
15. On the Component Services page, expand Component Services and then expand Computers.
16. Right click My Computer and select Properties.
17. Select Default Properties and select Connect for Default Authentication Level and then click OK.
18. Now, everything should have no problem, you can download Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions from follow link and install it.
https://www.iis.net/downloads/community/2011/07/frontpage-2002-server-extensions-for-iis-70-on-windows-server-2008-and-windows-vista
19. Install Hyper-V integration services.
Hope you enjoy this post.
Cary Sun @SifuSun
Windows Server 2003 Migration Strategy
There are three possible strategies for a successful transfer from NT 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, my goal is to help you decide which strategy will be right for you.
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Migrate to a ‘Brand New’ Windows Server 2003 domain.
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‘In Place’ upgrade from NT 4.0 to 2003.
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Co-existence of NT 4.0 with Windows Server 2003.
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Migration and Upgrade Choices
1. Brand New Domain
Faced with moving to Windows Server 2003, my first choice would be to create a ‘Brand New’ domain. There are many advantages of a clean start. For instance, you may want to change your NT 4.0 domain name to match your DNS name. Also, you probably want to ditch all that baggage from your old domain.
The hardest part of this strategy is to deal with the user accounts. Two common solutions are to:
a) Export the old accounts in NT 4.0, then use CSVDE to bulk import into Active Directory.
b) Get ADMT and move the accounts from NT 4.0 into the new domain.
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2. ‘In Place upgrade from NT 4.0.
The simplest strategy is to make an ‘In Place’ upgrade of NT 4.0. Just insert the CD for Windows Server 2003 into the NT4.0 PDC and the wizard will guide you through the upgrade. Then repeat this procedure for each of your BDCs. In my opinion, this ‘In Place’ method is only suitable for small networks with 10-150 users. In its purest form, this strategy means finishing on Friday as NT 4.0 and coming in on Monday upgraded to a Windows Server 2003 domain.
One worry with the ‘In Place’ migration is that there is no easy rollback should things go wrong. One tactic is to keep a BDC available but off the main network. If there is a problem with the migration bring this BDC back and promote it. Meanwhile while you rebuild the previous PDC offline then try the migration once again. Alternatively, you could restore from that backup you made before attempting the upgrade.
3. Co-existence of NT 4.0 with Windows Server 2003.
Co-existence would be my last choice. While it is true that co-existence is the most versatile strategy, it does mean extra work running both NT 4.0 and Windows Server 2003. If you are not careful, the users become confused, and this would make them hostile to the upgrade – which would be a shame.
I accept that for large organizations, co-existence may be the only practical solution. At its simplest, it could mean an extension of the ‘In Place’ strategy by upgrading a few NT 4.0 BDC’s each month until the whole organization is native Windows Server 2003.
You could also use Co-existence in conjunction with my first strategy ‘Brand New Domain’. Create a new Windows Server 2003 forest, and then configure trust relationships to the old domain. Where you need to preserve settings, Microsoft provide good tools to help you move users and their settings across to the new domain, e.g. ADMT and USMT.
At this stage, it is important to reach a preliminary conclusion. Decide which strategy you are going to deploy, then read these pages to test and refine your Windows 2003 plans.
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Think of all the frustration that this free utility saves when you are troubleshooting authorization problems for users access to a resource. Give this permissions monitor a try – it’s free!
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Where are you now?
My first suggestion is to take stock and ask, ‘Where are we now? Exactly what are our servers running?’ The answers should be easy, we are running NT 4.0 or W2K. But digging a little deeper, do you know which service packs are installed, the amount of RAM each server has, and the size of the system partitions? All this is leading up to my key question, ‘Will the old machines run the new Server 2003 operating system?’ Also check the HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) on Microsoft’s website. If you are still in doubt, I would download Microsoft’s free compatibility testing software and prove that your system will upgrade successfully.
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What is your Vision?
Now it is time to clarify, ‘Where do you want to get to?’ This is a deceptive question. The answer may not be as simple as migrating to Windows Server 2003. Perhaps you could use the migration as an opportunity to restructure your domains and consolidate on fewer, bigger servers? (Revise that budget figure and add extra money for new kit).
What I am driving at is develop a vision for IT in your organization. Imagine the best desktop for your user, think what services they need. Use migration as an opportunity to reduce costs, increase productivity. Windows server 2003 is a good choice to turn your vision into reality. But wait a minute, which ‘flavour’ of Server 2003 do you want? Enterprise, Web or Standard Windows 2003 server?
Finally, which of these routes will you take?
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Migration path NT 4.0 –> Windows Server 2003 (Recommended)
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Migration path NT 4.0 –> Windows Server 2000 (Consider above option)
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Migration path W2K –> Windows Server 2003 (Easy, but would it be cost effective?)
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More Windows Server 2003 topics:
• Windows Server 2003 Roles • IIS v 6.0 Explained • Upgrade from NT 4.0 • Install Server 2003
• Active Directory – Intro • Active Directory – DNS • Group Policy in Windows 2003 • FSMO Roles
• Windows Secondary Logon Service • Windows Server 2003 OU • .NET Explained • Computer Jokes
Windows Server 2008 introduces many improvements and new features in the Active Directory infrastructure. Some of the most important features are:
– Flexible Password Policies
– Active Directory Auditing
– Read Only Domain Controllers RODC
In a series of screencasts, we will demonstrate in a Step-by-Step fashion these new features.
In this screencast, we show you how to migrate Active Directory domain to Windows Server 2008. There are two approaches in this process:
– You can introduce your first Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller in Active Directory by performing an in-place upgrade of an existing Windows 2003 DC (Windows 2000 DC has to be upgraded to Windows 2003 DC first, before you can in-place upgrade it to Windows 2008)
– You can add a fresh installed Windows 2008 member server and promote it as a DC.
In the following screencast, you will see the first approach – in-place upgrade of a Windows 2003 Domain Controller. There are a couple of very important considerations that you should have in mind before you proceed with your migration scenario.
â— First, you have to make sure that your Active Directory is healthy and you have perfect replication between the existing Domain Controllers. Using NetDiag, DCDiag, Repadmin from Windows Support tools could help you in this task. It is a very wrong approach to expect that an in-place upgrade will solve your existing Active Directory problems.
â— You should have a good backup of your Domain Controllers, including the system state. If you have more than one DC (which you should) – backup all of them or at least two DC.
â— Check whether you cover the hardware requirements. Make sure that you have enough free space in the boot volume. You should have at least 14062 MB available to be able to start the in-place upgrade. There is an elegant way to extend your boot volume using the Windows Server 2008 installation disk, and it is demonstrated in the following screencast: How to perform an In-place Upgrade of Windows Server 2008.
â— Check and raise, if necessary, the Domain and Forest functional levels. You cannot upgrade directly from Windows 2000 mixed or Windows Server 2003 interim domain functional levels.
â— The first Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller in the forest must be a Global catalog server, and it cannot be a Read Only Domain Controller, RODC.
â— Check the FSMO roles assignments. When you prepare the existing AD, you should run adprep /forestprep on the Schema operations master and adprep /domainprep /gpprep on the infrastructure master.
In the following screencast, we will demonstrate in-place upgrade of a Windows Server 2003 Domain Controller, which is the only one DC in the domain and holds all the FSMO roles.
Note: If you need to extend your Boot volume, you can do this easily using the Windows Server 2008 installation disk. You can watch a demo in Step1 here
Step 1 When you decide to perform in-place upgrade of Windows Server 2008, you will notice that the installation process requires at least 14062 MB of free space. This means free space, not the size of the Boot Volume. If you do not pass the free space check, you will not be able to proceed with the upgrade. We would like to remind you that according to Microsoft’s terminology, the Boot volume is the disk volume that contains the Windows/Winnt folder (the Windows operating system files and the supporting files).
Step 2 In step2, we perform the actual upgrade and check the result.
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