Change domain contrller to an another W2k3

Currently I have two DC. DC1 is running with w2k3 and DC2 is running with win2k. We are planning to change DC2 to a different hardware and win2k3 OS. Can anyone help me of the procedure of promoting and depromoting steps. And also like to know on what order I should do. Thanks in advance.

 

install dc3. promote to a DC

make sure dc2 has no roles, by default it will not.

demote dc2, power off dc2

 

Thanks bibus. I managed to do it. My DC1 is already doing the role of DNS, DHCP, printing, Global Catalog and everything. What is the recommendation to split the roles between two DCs.

 

i mean roles as fsmo roles.

you should have 2 dns, global catalogs, and dhcp servers.

that way you can loose a dc and not worry about it ... and get it fixed without presure.

you can see the roles inside your active directoy tools (users and computers, domains and trusts (operational masters))

 

Thanks for the suggestion.
For DNS the 2nd one can only be alternate dns. right ? Global catalog : can I enable the global catalog in both the DCs ?. DHCP : enabling both DHCP should not be an issue.

 

Dns - is no problem as an alternate - if you are using an active directory DNS then they will automatically replicate and are both updatable as well

If you have a single domain then both DC's can and should be GC's. If you have more than one domain however you shouldn't have all DC's as GC's

DHCP is an issue, you cant just bang in another one, you have to setup a split scope on them so that they dont give out overlapping ip's etc. The DHCP servers dont talk or replicate so you have to ensure they cant give out the same ip's.

In all honesty i wouldnt setup the second DHCP, its more trouble than its worth. Have a good backup of the configuration and you cab bring the other DHCP up in a few minutes if necessary

 

have two dns servers, there is no real master

just put both in the dns list for dhcp

you can and should have 2 dhcp servers .. unless your network is really small.

if you have a small office you can split the scope in half. If its a big office 80/20 split with a longer lease duration.

My network is 255.255.192.0 so i have two dhcp subnets. Works well ... if one dhcp server fails the other one has enough addresses to handle both scopes for a few days.

my lease duration is 10 days so i would have plenty of time to repair the server before leases start running out and server 2's address space is all used up