Adding a Server 2008 DC.

I am looking to add a Server 2008 domain controller to my network. Currently I have 3 server 2003 DCs on the network. From what I have read, all I need to do to prep the network, is run the following on the 2003 DC that houses the schema operations master:

Code:

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adprep /forestprep
adprep /domainprep
adprep /domainprep /gpprep

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Let it replicate to the other DCs, and then install server 2008 on the new server, and promote it to DC.

Does anyone know of anything else I need to do the the network to prepare it for a server 2008 domain controller?

Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

That is my understanding of what needs to be done (only addition is making sure you run the AD prep commands from the 2008 Server install source, obvious to some, maybe not to others).
The relevant technet articles are here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc733027.aspx

Well, you have to make sure you're domain and forest functional levels are not in 2K mixed mode. I think you can be in 2K native or 2K3. You can't have any NT boxes on your domain. 2K and above only. See the following for more info. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../cc754918.aspx

That's all that I had to do. I'm in the process from migrating from Netware to AD but 2K3 was my first DC. Then I added two other 2K8 DCs using the same process above. You're gonna love 2K8. I'm already hating 2K3 after having used 2K8. GP extensions are great!

Hey guys,

Thanks for the quick replies. You have given me a bit of confidence going into this. :)

I don't believe we are in mixed mode. I kind of fell into this network, so I am still figuring things out, but I am pretty sure that we don't have any machines that are pre-XP. All of our Windows servers are 2003. So I think we will be ok.

phishphreek do I need to install anything on the XP machines to be able to use the 2008 GP extensions? I have been reading that it may be necessary to install client side extensions on those machines. I could be way off in my understanding here...

Thanks again for the replies.

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You're gonna love 2K8. I'm already hating 2K3 after having used 2K8. GP extensions are great!

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You suck! I'm stuck with (3) 2003 Servers and no budget dammit. I also heard that 2008 has a nice NAC option. Is this true? I was hoping to extend my control over machines joining the domain.

Quote:

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I also heard that 2008 has a nice NAC option. Is this true?

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Yup.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions...07-491725.html

Westin: Sorry it's been some time since I could reply. I just moved into a new house and didn't have internet there except for my painfully slow aircard. After having a 15/15 FIOS connection for so long, DSL speeds really do feel like dial up! I guess I got spoiled...

You will need to install the client side extensions on the XP clients. Although, I'm pretty sure they are part of MS's normal updates or something you can at least push out using WSUS.

ShagDevil: I'm not up to speed on the 2K8 NAC option. Actually, they call it NAP, but either way. I never like to put all the controls under one vendor. That is especially true for me with it comes to M$. I'd trust the Cisco NAC or even Symantec's Endpoint Protection NAC feature first. Though... if the price is right (free), I'd use the 2K8 NAP. Not sure about it though.

[b]Phish[/] - Thanks for the response. I got the DC up and running, I have not looked at the XP client side extensions, but we do use WSUS, so hopefully it will push them out automatically. I will have to do some reading on that.

Once again thanks to all who replied. Everything went pretty well, and was extremely straight-forward.