After done for Active Directory Preparation, now we need to install a new Windows Server 2012 R2, export data from existing windows server 2003 and then import to new Windows Server 2012 R2.

Install windows 2012 R2 domain server

  1. Build a new Windows 2012 R2 Server (Make sure you fully patch it).
  2. Logon to windows 2012 R2 Server – The account used to logon must have “Domain Admins” rights.
  3. Ensure that DNS is configured to windows 2003 domain controller server.
  4. Join it to the Domain.
  5. Open the Server Manager console and click on Add roles and features.
  6. Select Role-based of featured-based installation and select Next.
  7. Select the Active Directory Domain Services, DHCP Server and file services (including De-Duplication) roles.
  8. Accept the default features required by clicking the Add Features button.
  9. On the Features screen click the Next button.
  10. On the Confirm installation selections screen click the Install button.
  11. Click the Close button once the installation has been completed.

Forest /Domain Verification of Process

  1. Logon to windows 2003 domain server.
  2. Click Start, click Run, type ADSIEdit.msc, and then click OK.
  3. Click Action, and then click Connect to.
  4. Click Select a well known Naming Context, select Configuration in the list of available naming contexts, and then click OK.
  5. Double-click Configuration, and then double-click CN=Configuration,DC=forest_root_domain.
  6. Double-click CN=ForestUpdates.
  7. Right-click CN=ActiveDirectoryUpdate, and then click Properties.
  8. Confirm that the revision attribute value is correct for the version of adprep /forestprep, and then click OK.
Note

  • For Windows Server 2012 R2, the value is 15.
  • For Windows Server 2012, the value is 11.
  • For Windows Server 2008 R2, the value is 5.
  • For Windows Server 2008, the value is 2.

9. Click ADSI Edit, click Action, and then click Connect to.

10. Click Select a Well known naming context, select Schema in the list of available naming contexts, and then click OK.

11. Right-click CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=forest_root_domain, and then click Properties.

12. Confirm that the objectVersion attribute value is correct for the version of adprep /forestprep, and then click OK.

Note

  • For Windows Server 2012 R2, the value is 69.
  • For Windows Server 2012, the value is 56.
  • For Windows Server 2008 R2, the value is 47.
  • For Windows Server 2008, the value is 44.

13. Now that we have successfully verified the Schema Extensions on windows 2003 domain server we can re-enable the outbound replication:

From the Command prompt type

repadmin /options (windows 2003 domain server name) -DISABLE_OUTBOUND_REPL

Force Replication and Convergence

Once the Schema Extensions have been successfully applied to windows 2003 domain controller server they need to be replicated to the rest of the domain controllers in the forest. This can be done manually by following the steps below

  1. Logon to windows 2003 domain controller server.
  2. Type repadmin /kcc.
  3. Type repadmin /syncall /e /d /a >c:\postrootschema-repl-Pull.txt.
  4. Open c:\postrootschema-repl-Pull.txt – Ensure that at the bottom of the file “SyncAll terminated with no errors” exists – If there are errors – These must be fixed before proceeding.
  5. Type repadmin /syncall /e /d /a /P >c:\postrootschema-repl-Push.txt.
  6. Open c:\postrootschema-repl-Push.txt – Ensure that at the bottom of the file “SyncAll terminated with no errors” exists – If there are errors – These must be fixed before proceeding.

File Server Migration

Robocopy to mirror folers and permissions

  1. Logon to windows 2003 domain controller server.
  2. Run net share and view all of the current shared folders.
  3. Review the Permissions and decided which folders to take over to the new server.
Note

  • This is a good time to look at cleaning up some of the old shares.  It is likely that most of the data isn’t even required on the new server.
  • It is also a good time to review the permissions to see if they are correct and in a desired state for the new server

4. Using the RoboCopy command below will mirror the permissions.

5. Logon to Windows 2012 R2 server.

6. Configure a RoboCopy script to mirror all of the desired folders to the new server.

Robocopy “\\<OldServer>\client service advisors” “f:\Client Service Advisors” /MIR /SEC /SECFIX /R:5 /W:15 /MT:12 /V /NP /LOG:f:\RoboCopySync_<OldServer>_clientserviceadvisor.log

Robocopy “\\<Old Server>\client services” “f:\Client services” /MIR /SEC /SECFIX /R:5 /W:15 /MT:12 /V /NP /LOG:f:\RoboCopySync_<OldServer>_clientservices.log

Robocopy “\\<Old Server>\corporate client services” “f:\corporate Client services” /MIR /SEC /SECFIX /R:5 /W:15 /MT:12 /V /NP /LOG:f:\RoboCopySync_<OldServer>_corporateclientservices.log

Robocopy “\\<Old Server>\pdf-reports” “f:\pdf-reports” /MIR /SEC /SECFIX /R:5 /W:15 /MT:12 /V /NP /LOG:f:\RoboCopySync_<OldServer>_pdf-reports.log

Note

We normally check the log files generated by this script to check for open files.   Normally it can take a few days to fully Sync everything up.
In production we would likely let this run as a scheduled task for a couple of weeks and check back.
RobyCopy will only take the changing or missing files so the final run of the script is very quick

7. Setup the Shares and Share Permissions on the new Windows 2012 R2 Server.

Disable Strict Name Checking

  1. Logon to Windows 2012 R2 server.
  2. Run regedit and expand the following key:  HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters.
  3. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value of DisableStrictNameChecking.
  4. Set the Value to 1.
Note

We use the above setting to help us steal the name of the old server by the creation of a CNAME record that points to the new Windows 2012 R2 Server.
This is important because a lot of users could have created mapped drives manually to the shares that will no longer exist on the old server

Export DHCP database and DNS Configuration

Export DHCP Database

  1. Logon to windows 2003 domain controller server.
  2. Stop the DHCP Server Service.
  3. Copy the DHCP Database from the from Windows 2003 (%windir%\system32\dhcp\dhcp.mdb) to windows 2012 r2 Server.
  4. Make sure you only grab the DHCP Database and not the associated log files.
Note

This will take all of the associated Scopes from the old server to the new one.   It is a complete cutover.  If you need to take individual scopes you should use netsh or the Server Migration Toolkit.

Export the DNS Configuration for all the Standard Primary and Secondary Zones (Forward and Reverse)

  1. Logon windows 2003 domain server.
  2. Export the DNS Registry keys (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DNS Server\Zones).
  3. Copy *.dns from %windir%\system32\dns.

Hope you enjoy this post.

Cary Sun

Twitter:@SifuSun