Completing Pre-Upgrade Tasks

Before you upgrade your Windows NT 4.0 domain to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, you must complete the following pre-upgrade tasks:

Relocate the LMRepl file replication service.
Migrate the Remote Access Service.
Prepare for file and print service upgrade.
Enable the Windows NT 4.0 environment change freeze.

Relocate the LMRepl File Replication Service

The LMRepl service is used to replicate files such as logon scripts or policies between Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers. To maintain the replication of files in the NETLOGON shared folder from the Windows NT 4.0 export server to all other Windows NT 4.0 BDCs running the LMRepl replication engine during the in-place domain upgrade process, upgrade all servers that are hosting import directories before you upgrade the server that is hosting the export directory.

If the server hosting the export directory is the PDC, then you can do one of the following:

Promote a BDC that meets the Windows Server 2003 domain controller hardware requirements to become the new PDC and demote the existing PDC to serve as a BDC hosting the export server.

“ or “
Reconfigure the LMRepl export server on a BDC and remove it from the PDC.

To determine whether the PDC is hosting the export directory, open Server Manager, select the PDC, click Computer , and then click Properties . Click Replication and verify that Export Directories is selected.

To test the new configuration to ensure that LMRepl continues to work correctly, place an empty file on the export server and verify that the file is replicated to the import directories during replication. Next, delete the replicated file from the import directory, and then verify that the file is deleted during the next replication.

Migrate the Remote Access Service

If Remote Access Service (RAS) or Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) is running on the PDC, a BDC, or a member server running Windows NT 4.0, you must migrate the service before you upgrade the operating system on that server. Migrating the RAS or RRAS service involves documenting the current service configuration settings, then using those settings to configure Routing and Remote Access on a server running Windows Server 2003. For information about planning to migrate the remote access services, see Planning the Migration in this book. For information about performing the migration, see Migrating to Dial-up and VPN Remote Access Servers Running Windows Server 2003 in this book.

Prepare for File and Print Service Upgrade

If the file service or the print service is running on the PDC, a BDC, or a member server running Windows NT 4.0, it is recommended that you migrate those services to a new server running Windows Server 2003. However, if you want to upgrade these services in place, perform the following steps before upgrading the operating system:

If a file server contains multidisk volumes, verify that your backup software and hardware are compatible with both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows Server 2003. Next, back up and then delete all multidisk volumes (volume sets, mirror sets, stripe sets, and stripe sets with parity) before you upgrade, because Windows Server 2003 cannot access these volumes. Be sure to verify that your backup was successful before deleting the volumes. After you finish upgrading to Windows Server 2003, create new dynamic volumes , and then restore the data.
If your paging file resides on a multidisk volume, you must use System in Control Panel to move the paging file to a primary partition or logical drive before beginning Setup.
When you upgrade a print server in place, you retain your existing print queues, drivers, and ports, minimizing the impact on users. However, you might encounter interoperability issues with your existing printer drivers. Before upgrading your servers, use the command-line utility Fixprnsv.exe, provided with Windows Server 2003, to help you identify any printer driver problems.

For more information about upgrading or migrating the file and print services, see Migrating File and Print Servers to Windows Server 2003 in this book.

Enable the Windows NT 4.0 Environment Change Freeze

Before you upgrade the PDC in your Windows NT 4.0 domain to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, you must freeze the Windows NT 4.0 environment to ensure that no other domain changes occur until after the PDC is upgraded. Freeze the Windows NT 4.0 environment when:

You have completed all of the updates to the Windows NT 4.0 domain and have replicated them to all domain controllers.
You have synchronized a BDC and have taken it offline for recovery purposes.

When you freeze the Windows NT 4.0 environment, no additional domain changes can take place until you upgrade the Windows NT 4.0 PDC to Windows Server 2003. Communicate to all appropriate individuals that changes to the environment, such as password updates, will not be accepted after a specific date.