Server 2008 Domain Controllers: What's Most Neat and Cool? Part #4 of 6
ADPREP
The following is excerpted from Chapter 7 of Windows Server 2008: What’s New / What’s Changed, available now from www.sapienpress.com.
Like previous schema upgrades, Server 2008’s schema upgrade is broken into multiple parts that are used depending on the nature of your existing domain and if you want to add new functionality. In addition to the /forestupdate, /domainupdate, and /domainupdate /gpprep switches that were around for Server 2003’s schema upgrade, Server 2008’s adprep tool adds /rodcprep which enables Active Directory support for Read-Only Domain Controllers.
Let’s take a look at each of these switches, when they’re useful and when you want to implement them…
More after the jump.
• Prerequisites. Before any schema update, any Windows 2000 Domain Controllers must be upgraded to at least Service Pack 2 or later or have installed QFE 265089. But if you seriously have any of these on your network, see me after class.
• /forestprep. Running adprep with this switch is the first thing you’ll need to do before any Server 2008 Domain Controllers can be brought on-line in a Server 2000/2003 Forest. This switch extends the schema for the forest and can take the longest to complete. It must be run on the forest’s Schema Operations Master. Ensure that forest replication is fully completely before moving onto the next step.
• /domainprep and /domainprep /gpprep. Once the AD forest has been extended, each domain in the forest must be extended as well before Server 2008 DC’s can be built. Where the big change occurs between the 2000 to 2003 upgrade and this one is the need for the /gpprep switch. This is only required if your DC’s are currently at Windows 2000. If you’re at Windows 2003, you can simply use /domainprep. If you’re not sure, just use both. It’ll do only what is required.
• /rodcprep. The /rodcprep switch adds the necessary functionality to AD for it to support Read-Only Domain Controllers. This is an optional step if you do not plan to make use of them. However, even if you don’t immediately, adding in the functionality is no greater a risk than the schema update itself, so probably it’s a good idea to run it anyway. Note that if you plan to make your RODC’s also Global Catalogs, you must first run /domainprep within in domains in the forest. This enables the RODC’s to replicate Global Catalog data from other domains.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’re ready to install your first Server 2008 Domain Controller. I can’t stress enough that if you’ve got sites with slow links, lag sites, or those that don’t replicate quickly that you must ensure that each step’s replication is complete prior to moving to the next step. To review the status of any adprep work, check out the error log stored in C:\WINDOWS\debug\adprep\logs.
Interested in reading the whole series? Click here for a link to every post in this series.
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