Sbs 2000 upgrade problem.

Hi everyone,

I have a SBS 4.5 on site and want to upgrade SBS2000
now. I tried to follow the white paper from microsoft
that
how to upgrade a brand new server to SBS 2000.

I have a old server runs SBS 4.5 and I have a new dell
server install SBS 2000 with workgroup now. My frist
question is when I join the new server to the domain now,
and since the MS white paper said it should join my new
server with workgroup, so I can transfer all of the data
from my old server to the new one such as the pri.edb and
pub .edb by exmerge. However, if I runs the Exchange 2000
with my SBS 2000 which already have Active dirctory
install, then how can my new server join the domain with
workgroup then??

Second, since my new server runs AD now, but somehow I
want to change my server name to other, can I run
dcpromo.exe from SBS 2000 like Windows 2000 server does??

Thank you for all advice. Thank you very much.

msadoff
Thu Nov 06 10:24:12 CST 2003

Hi Sara,

When you refer to the MS white paper, I'm assuming you mean the MS SBS 2000
Migration Upgrade paper on Technet. The first step of this white paper
says, "Using Small Business Server 2000 Setup Disc 1, install *only*
Windows 2000 Server on the new computer ... Do not install the Small
Business Server 2000 applications at this time; these will be installed in
Step 5." The reason this document instructs you not to install the
additional SBS server apps yet is because installing the additional apps
will make your server a domain controller. You then will be unable to join
the old SBS 4.5 domain to copy the data files you need.

To get your server connected to the old network, you technically could run
dcpromo and demote it from being a domain controller, but I don't recommend
this because doing so will break your Exchange 2000 installation. My
recommendation is that you connect a client computer to the old domain,
copy the files that you need from the old SBS 4.5, remove the client
computer from the old domain, join it to the new domain, and then copy the
files to the new SBS 2000.

You cannot rename a Windows 2000 domain controller. Again, you could demote
it using dcpromo, but this will break Exchange 2000, so I don't recommend
it.

Michael Sadoff
Microsoft SBS Product Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.