My first migration from Windows Server 2000 to Small Business Server 2008 with some setbacks and successes was an overall good learning experience. This article series will outline and discuss the steps and processes I used to successfully migrate from a Windows Server 2000 based domain without Exchange to Small Business Server 2008.
The network being migrated consisted of a single Windows 2000 domain controller and about 10 workstations. My goal was to minimize having to touch the workstations and also retain the current Windows 2000 server as a member server after the migration. Since the SBS 2008 migration process using the answer file method is not supported for migration from Windows 2000, I tried a suggested alternative referenced here.
First step was to prep the Windows 2000 active directory.
- Raise Domain Functional level of your Windows 2000 server to Native 2000
- Insert SBS 2008 setup DVD into your Windows 2000 server dvd-drive
- Run adprep /forestprep and adprep /domainprep from the Sources\Adrep directory
Next, create migration answer file which will actually interrupt the SBS 2008 install
- From the SBS 2008 DVD Tools folder, run SBSAfg.exe and fill in the required info
- Save and copy the answer file to removable media (I used a USB floppy drive)
- Boot new server with connected removable device and answer file
The install should halt with the dcpromo log revealing the following error:
"Failed to copy install file c:\windows\system32\sbsntds.dit to c:\windows\NTDS\ntds.dit"
From here you should have access to the SBS 2008 desktop. Configure static ip settings and server name, reboot and join domain.
As suggested from the above referenced article, the current Windows 2000 server ntds.dit file would need to be copied from the source 2000 server either through active directory restore mode boot or a redirected backup restore operation. Rename the ntds.dit file to sbsntds.dit and then copy it to the c:\windows\system32 directory on the SBS 2008 server. Run dcpromo on the SBS 2008 server and that should join it to the existing Windows 2000 domain. However, that wasn't the case for me. For whatever reason, my copied sbsntds.dit file kept logging corruption errors and the following "Active Directory is Rebuilding Indices" message during the SBS 2008 dcpromo process and ultimately failing.
This option may work for you since it looks like it has for others. After an hour or so of troubleshooting, I opted instead to do a swing style migration that I'll review soon in Part 2. Comments or questions welcomed.
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So this actually worked great for me, with one minor problem that I overlooked and now don't know what to do about.
I didn't realize until after I ran dcpromo on the sbs2008 server that the answer file didn't set the proper name for the sbs2008 machine. Now I can't rename it without reinstalling.
Question is, I haven't touched my windows 2000 server at all yet other than the adprep before I ran dcpromo on the new server. If I was to remove the new server from the domain should the old one still work? I tried to step through dcpromo on the sbs08 server and it says there's no other dc it can find, yet when I run dcpromo on the windows 2000 box it still says it is a global catalog server, so in theory it should still work?
Jason, if dcpromo never ran successfully on the new server then it is probably still a member server and not a domain controller. If thats the case you should be able to delete it's computer account and start over. You can also check the Domain Controllers container from the 2000 server Active Directory Users and Computers console to verify that the new server is not in there. Hope that helps.
No, dcpromo ran successfully on the new server. Which initially I was really excited about because that meant the simple switch worked and I didn't have to do a swing migration.
In the domain controllers container I see both of my servers currently - the old windows 2000 server and the new improperly named sbs08 server.
So my question is, if I were to remove AD from the sbs08 machine would the 2000 server still continue to function as a dc until I could get the new box reinstalled and up again?
I was under the impression that I was going to have to remove AD from the 2000 box once evertying is running smooth but as I haven't yet I'm wondering if I could get away with reinstalling the sbs08 box still.
I would make sure, verify all the FSMO roles are on the 2000 box. Disable the GC setting on the SBS 2008 box through Sites and Services console if it is checked. Make sure the dns server setting on the 2008 machine is configured with the 2000 server ip then re-run dcpromo on the 2008 box. That should roll you back to where you started and keep the 2000 box functioning as a DC. If you have a sysstate backup from before running dcpromo on the new server then a restore should work as well.