How to migrate Windows 2003 Active Directory to Windows 2008 Active Directory—–Step by Step guide

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Raihan Al-Beruni

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Microsoft’s new baby in their server family is Windows Server 2008. The Windows Server® 2008 operating system ease operation of IT administrator and enterprise IT planner and designer. Windows 2008 Active Directory got improved roles, AD domain services, federation services, AD rights management services, compliances and BPA. Its time to shift to Windows 2008 Active Directory. In this article, I will show how to migrate from windows 2003 AD to windows 2008 AD.

On Windows Server 2003 DC, insert the Windows Server 2008 DVD, then open command prompt and change directory to d:\sources\adprerp directory. Here D:\ is my dvd rom drive. In your case do as appropriate. note: you need to log on to windows 2003 domain controller as enterprise admin to run these command.

Now run following command adprep/ forestprep

After finishing forestprep run adprep/ domainprep

adprep/ rodcprep (Optional)

Install windows 2008 server and promote windows 2008 server as additional domain controller in windows 2003 forest

This is a trial version of windows 2008, I do not find any necessity to mention any cd key for this article. If you have proper cd key, you can mention here.

Windows 2008 will ask you to reset password for the first time. note: password complexity is enabled by default.

Now you have completed installing Windows 2008 machine. Log on as an administrator. Add active directory role in windows 2008 server. follow the screenshot as shown below

Mention your existing domain name, provide domain admin credentials to add this server to domain.

A restore password is required in case you need to restore AD.

Now restart windows 2008 server. It takes few minutes to replicate all AD container, AD object and DNS records. I would prefer to wait more then hours and see all the records are available in windows 2008 active directory. or you can force replicate all record if necessary.

Now transfer all the FSMO roles from windows 2003 AD domain controller to windows 2008 AD domain controller. Log on to windows 2003 domain controller as enterprise admin. open command prompt type as follows:

ntdsutil

roles

connections

connect to server WIN2008SERVERNAME

Transfer domain naming master

Transfer PDC

Transfer Schema Master

Transfer RID master

Transfer infrastructure master

Now you are ready to demod windows 2003 domain controller. log on to windows 2003 domain controller as domain admin . Open AD sites and services from administrative tools, expand default first site name, expand windows 2003 domain controller, right click on NTDS settings and go to properties. uncheck global catalog, click ok.