Tech Tips / Windows 2000 Server / Installation and Configuration
Sometimes your Windows NT 4 domain controllers will run on old hardware that isn't compatible with Windows 2000, and you'll want to use a migration as an opportunity to restructure and clean up your network.
In this case, you can't just upgrade old domain controllers to Windows 2000. Instead, you'll want to create a new Windows 2000 domain and then migrate only selected users, computers, and other network objects. Again, you want to do all this in the lab first.
By creating a new Windows 2000 domain, you actually create a second environment. The real Windows NT 4 domain controllers will be out in a real production environment, and your Windows 2000 domain controllers will be in the lab. After installing Windows 2000 domain controllers, you can add users to this new domain. You can create completely new users, but this isn't a very good idea, since the objective is to mimic as closely as possible your existing domain. A better solution is to import user accounts from the Windows NT 4 domain to the lab domain.
After extensive testing, you can remove old Windows NT 4 domain controllers and introduce new Windows 2000 controllers. Of course, the whole migration is not so simple, but the basic idea is. Because you can't be too prepared, you should carefully read Microsoft's Deployment Planning Guide, which is part of the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.
If you're an experienced IT professional and would like to share your expertise with other Setup32.com readers, why not submit a new tip to our Tech Tips area?
Certification Links