An Overview of Upgrading to and Installing Windows 2000 Member Servers

ID: Q242786

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

SUMMARY

Windows 2000 member servers are servers that run Windows 2000 Server for file, print, Web, application, and communication services.

You can upgrade your existing member servers to Windows 2000 or install new servers as the first phase in your Windows 2000 deployment before you have your Active Directory structure in place.

MORE INFORMATION

Planning for Member Server Upgrade and Installation

One of the main advantages of installing or upgrading to Windows 2000 is the availability of Active Directory directory services. However, even if you delay installing Active Directory, you can still upgrade member servers to Windows 2000 and have access to the new and improved component features and services.

Servers within a Windows 2000 domain can have one of two roles:

A domain controller
A member server

A member server is a Windows 2000 server that is a member of an Active Directory domain, but is not a domain controller and does not contain any Active Directory objects. Member servers share common security features such as domain policies and user rights.

Member servers can act as:

File servers
Print servers
Web servers
Proxy servers
Routing and Remote Access Services (RRAS) Servers
Application servers, which include component servers, Terminal servers, Certificate servers, database servers, and e-mail servers.

Member Server Planning Tasks

The planning process for installing or upgrading member servers can take considerable time. Planning ahead minimizes problems that can occur with network upgrades.

Make sure that you allow enough time for each step in the process. Thorough planning will help your deployment run smoothly. Use the following guidelines for planning your member server upgrade and installation:

Modify any existing network design documents. If you currently do not have a network diagram, consider creating one before proceeding with any further network upgrade.

Examine the existing network infrastructure for:

Software compatibility
Interoperability needs
Hardware needs

Create a member server deployment plan that answers the following questions:

How many new member servers are needed?
Which member servers should be upgraded?
Which member servers should be replaced with new hardware before upgrading?

If needed, create a test environment. Member servers may have incompatible software can be tested before being deployed.

Creating an Upgrade Schedule

When you are upgrading servers, interruptions of network services commonly occur. To minimize this inconvenience, create an upgrade timeline that minimizes downtime during business hours.

The Amount of Time for the Installation or Upgrade of a Single Server

The amount of time it takes to upgrade varies from computer to computer depending on hardware speed, but typically the installation or upgrade of one server should take about an hour. In addition, it may take from several hours to days to evaluate the upgrade and test the server before actually putting it back on the network.

The Implementation of New Services and Features

After you install or upgrade a server, you must configure it with the new services and features of Windows 2000 Server to give the most benefit to the network. This involves testing the server in a test lab environment before installing it back on the network.

One of the best ways to minimize downtime is to install or upgrade member servers in increments. For example, assume that a network is running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, and has 5 file servers, 10 applications servers, 10 Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) severs, 5 fax servers, 5 proxy servers, 10 routers, 5 Remote Access Services (RAS) servers, 15 print servers, and 6 SQL databases.

Your first task is to determine the time frames in which each group of member servers can be upgraded. You may decide that one of each type of server will be taken offline, upgraded, and tested during normal business hours, leaving the rest of the servers on-line and functioning.

If the upgrade and test goes well, then the rest of the servers will be upgraded at night after normal business hours, allowing the already upgraded servers to handle the network services.

The installation of the additional servers is performed after all of the original servers are upgraded. This allows time to configure the services and components of the new servers.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbnetwork kbsetup
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo