I work for a small school as the computer support person. The school has a Windows network with active directory and a single domain. There are two domain controllers running Windows server 2000. One server does dns, dhcp, holds the roaming profiles and user files and shared files. The other server runs exchange 2003 and also contains some shared files. I wish to replace the first serverwith a server with greater storage capacity. I do not have new hardware for the exchange server. Currently the school has all XP pro clients except for a couple of vista laptops. The next lot of client pcs will run Windows 7.So my questions are:Do I upgrade to 2003 or 2008?If I should upgrade where do I find directions for moving from the old server running 2000 to the new server (different hardware) with 2003 or 2008?Can I upgrade the second server which contains exchange to 2003 or 2008?If yes where do I find directions for that?Thanks,Peter Cook.

Hi Peter,Thank you for posting in windows server forums, You can upgrade your windows 2000 to windows 2008 R2 ( as this Operating system provides you inbuilt virtualization ) and also it will avoid you to install any other 3rd party virtualization software ( eg: vmware ) . As you are upgrading i woudl suggest Please follow the link below and post us if you have further questions http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/why-upgrade-2000.aspx

Hi, Thanks for the post. From your description, I suggest you could upgrade the two servers to Windows 2003 or 2008. Please note: To avoid some compatibility issue, we highly recommend trying it in a lab environment first. As for how to move from the old server running 2000 to the new server, please refer to the following KB article: How to upgrade Windows 2000 domain controllers to Windows Server 2003 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/325379 Installing an Additional Domain Controller http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733027(WS.10).aspx For Exchange 2003 server upgrade issue, please post a new thread to our Exchange TechNet Forum for further assistance: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/category/exchangeserver/ Considering that the next lot of PCs will run Windows 7, I recommend upgrading the DCs to Windows Server 2008 R2, which provides enhanced management control over resources across the enterprise. It is designed to provide better energy efficiency and performance by reducing power consumption and lowering overhead costs. Here is the TOP Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/why-upgrade.aspx Hope this helps.

Thanks for the links. I see that I need to upgrade to 2003 first so I'll start there. I am going to replace the windows 2000 domain controller server 'main' (that does dns, dhcp, holds the roaming profiles and user files and shared files) with a new server. The other windows 2000 domain controller 'mail' (that does exchange) can be upgraded to windows 2003 later. Can you check that the following process will work: Install windows server 2003 on new server called 'temp'. Join the new server 'temp' to the windows 2000 domain as a domain controller. Copy the shared files, user files and user profiles to the new server. Demote the old windows 2000 domain controller called 'main' to a member server and rename it 'old'. Demote the new server 'temp' and rename it 'main'. (There is still one domain controller available, the 'mail' server) Promote the new server 'main' as a domain controller. Do I now have a windows 2003 domain controller called 'main' that will seem to be the old server to other computers on the domain? Or do I have a nasty mess? Thanks, Peter Cook

Hi,Thanks for the update.If you want to directly upgrade to Windows Server 2008, you could perform the following steps.1. Install Windows Server 2008 on a new server.2. Promote the new server to become Domain Controller (in the same domain).3. Promote the new Domain Controller to be "Global Catalog" and reboot the server.4. Install DNS server on the new Domain Controller.5. Set the local IP of the new Domain Controller as DNS server.6. Option - Install WINS service on the new Domain Controller and change7. Move FSMO rules to the new Domain Controller. Please note: We highly recommend trying it in a lab environment first. For your reference, I have included some useful articles below: Installing an Additional Domain Controllerhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733027.aspx Managing Domain Controllershttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794716.aspx Hope this helps.

Thanks for the information. I think I will just move to 2003 for now using the plan I outlined. Peter Cook