Step by Step Domain

Migration Windows

Server 2008 to

Windows Server 2012

Hussain Shakir

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrhussain

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hshakir_ms

Blog: http://mstechguru.blogspot.com/

Table of Contents About Author ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Product Overview .................................................................................................................................. 4

Windows Server 2008 R2 VM Properties for DC ................................................................................. 4

TCP/IP Configurations on VM.............................................................................................................. 5

Assumptions: - ....................................................................................................................................... 5

View FSMO Roles Status in Windows Server 2008 ............................................................................. 6

Preparing Existing Forest Via Adprep .................................................................................................. 6

Schema Upgrade Process ...................................................................................................................... 8

Schema Version Verification ................................................................................................................ 9

Promoting the Windows Server 2012 Server Domain Controller ....................................................... 10

Verficiation of FSMO Roles on Each DC ............................................................................................. 14

Transferring the RID, PDC emulator and Infrastructure Master Roles ............................................. 15

Transfer domain naming master role .................................................................................................. 18

Transfer Schema Master Role ............................................................................................................. 20

About Author

Shakir is IT Consultant with over 13 years of extensive experience working with Microsoft

Technologies AD, Exchange, O365, Windows Azure, PowerShell, Skype for Business, SQL,

SharePoint and Microsoft public clouds, and providing solutions to different local &

international Enterprise customers.

Shakir has been involved in Infrastructure Designing and Implementation, Virtualization, and

Disaster Recovery. Extensive hands-on experience in Core Server Infrastructure, Cloud

Computing, Virtualization/ Management and Information Protection. Analysis and Support of

Microsoft Windows Server based Client / Server network, AD, Messaging, Skype for Business,

SQL Always ON, Virtualization and System Center Infrastructure Products. Shakir has various

industry certifications: MCT, MCTS, MCITP, MCSA, MCSE: Messaging, MCPS, MCSE:

Cloud Platform and Infrastructure and also providing trainings on Microsoft Based

Technologies.

Product Overview

Active Directory is one of the most widely used services on enterprise networks. In addition to

providing basic authentication and authorization services, Active Directory enables so many

other capabilities that its popularity is no surprise.

Most of the people are still running Windows Server 2008 in the network and wants to safely

migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2 edition. Windows Server 2012 R2 adds some significant

new features to both Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

In this step by step guide we will walk through the simple procedure to migrate Windows Server

2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory domain controller in a lab network.

Windows Server 2008 R2 VM Properties for DC

I am using VMware Workstation for this migration, also using Samsung SSD 850 PRO 1 TB for

all labs, you can run a DC with 512 MB of RAM only with SSD or event less than 512 MB

RAM.

TCP/IP Configurations on VM

Static IP will be used for TCP/IP configuration, your IP will be used as preferred DNS server.

Assumptions: -

It is assumed that you have already up and running Windows Server 2008 R2 as Domain

Controller in your network and you are looking for the migration to Windows Server 2012 R2.

As a precaution, complete a full backup of your existing Windows Server 2008 R2 Domain

Controller.

View FSMO Roles Status in Windows Server 2008

Preparing Existing Forest Via Adprep

Adprep.exe is a command-line tool that is included on the installation disk of each version of

Windows Server. Adprep.exe performs operations that must be completed on the domain

controllers that run in an existing Active Directory environment before you can add a domain

controller that runs that version of Windows Server.

Insert the Windows Server 2012 DVD into the DVD drive of the Windows Server 2008

R2 AD DS.

Schema Upgrade Process

Check the Schema version of AD DS (After adprep) by running regedit, navigating to

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\NTDS\Par

ameters and noting the current Schema version.

Open command prompt, and type adprep /forestprep and press enter.

You can see the Adprep process has initiated.

At this point Adprep completed the upgrade process successfully.

Schema Version Verification

Let’s again check the registry value for schema version

As you can see the schema version has been updated from 47 to 69.

Promoting the Windows Server 2012 Server Domain Controller

Add AD DS role in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Promote your server as ADC.

Select first option to add your Windows Server 2012 R2 in to your existing domain which is

Windows Server 2008 R2.

Provide DSRM password and click on Next.

Click Next to Continue

For replication you can select Windows Server 2008 R2 Domain Controller for replication and

click Next.

Go with default path setting and click Next

Click Next to Continue.

Click Next to continue.

After this step server will reboot and you can check the status of your ADC.

Verficiation of FSMO Roles on Each DC

FMSO Status on Windows Server 2012 R2

You can see that all FSMO roles are currently with DC2008 Server which is our Old DC having

runnning Windows Server 2008 R2.

FMSO Status on Windows Server 2008 R2

Transferring the RID, PDC emulator and Infrastructure

Master Roles

As the first step let’s look how we can transfer these 3 roles over to new server.

1. Log in to the windows 2012 R2 server as domain administrator

2. Click on Server Manager > Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers as shown

below

In MMC, right click on the domain name then click on Operation Masters

In next window, it will show the 3 FSMO roles. The default is PDC. At this screen, it will show

the current PDC holder. Then it is asking if need to change it to new windows 2012 r2 server

click on Change.

You can see RID Operation Master role is with DC2008 Server.

You can see PDC Operation Master role is with DC2008 Server.

You can see Infrastructure Operation Master role is with DC2008 Server.

Let’s transfer one by one all roles. Click on Change and then Click on Yes.

Click Ok to continue.

You can see the RID Operation Master role has been transferred to DC2012 from DC2008.

We will follow the same procedure to transfer PDC and Infrastructure Operation Master role. I

am not showing screenshot of PDC and Infrastructure Master role.

Transfer domain naming master role

1. Log in to the windows 2012 R2 server as domain administrator

2. Click on Server Manager > Tools > Active Directory Domains and Trusts

You can see Domain Naming Master role is still with DC2008

Click Change and Click Yes Ok

Domain Naming Master roles has successfully transferred to DC2012.

At this point we have successfully transfer 4 FSMO roles.

Transfer Schema Master Role

1. Log in to the windows 2012 R2 server as domain administrator

2. Open the Run window in server (Windows key + R) and type regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll

and press enter

1. Click ok to continue

You can check status of roles untill now by netdom query fsmo, you can see except Schema

Master all roles are transferred to DC2012.

2. Open the Run window again, type mmc and click OK

Click Ok

Then in mmc window click on File > Add-Remove Snap-in

Then from snap in select Active Directory Schema and click on the Add button

Click on the Ok button to continue

Then right click Active Directory Schema and click Change Active Directory Domain

Controller

In Next window select the windows server 2012 R2 DC (DC2012.mstechguru.blogspot.ae) and

click ok

An information message is provided. Click OK to continue

Right click Active Directory Schema > Operation Master

At this point its showing the current schema master role holder

(DC2008.mstechguru.blogspot.ae) and its asking if we need to move it to windows server 2012

R2 (DC2012.mstechguru.blogspot.ae). Click Change to move the role over.

Click Change and Click Yes to continue

Click Ok

The current schema master will now display windows server 2012 R2 as

DC2012.mstechguru.blogspot.ae

Now we successfully move all FSMO roles one by one. To confirm all 5 FSMO roles have been

moved over to the new windows server 2012 R2, open command prompt in any server and type

command netdom query fsmo and press enter.

You can see the results. All roles are transferred to Windows Server 2012 R2 as

DC2012.mstechguru.blogspot.ae.

I hope this step by step will help you out to transfer FSMO roles and migrate your old operating

system domain to new operating system.