TCP/IP Upgrade from Windows NT 3.1 Requires User Interaction

ID: Q130961

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit version 3.5

SYMPTOMS

UNATTEND.TXT, included in the Resource Kit for Windows NT 3.5, implies that you can automatically upgrade a Windows NT 3.1 system to Windows NT 3.5 and have the system configured with dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP). You can select to install TCP/IP with DHCP using Setup Manager, but during the setup process, if you choose to "Upgrade existing Windows NT installation," the following warning message appears:

You have chosen to upgrade an existing Windows NT system. Setup will use the current system information and ignore parameters specified in the unattended answer file.

This does not correlate with the information in the following sections excerpted from the default UNATTEND.TXT file:


   ; For unattended UPGRADES of Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced
   ; Server 3.1, you may not need to specify an unattended answer file. You
   ; should specify an answer file if upgrading TCP/IP. For unattended
   ; upgrades, do:
   ;
   ;    winnt32 /u
   ;
   ; For unattended installation using winnt.exe or winnt32.exe do:
   ;
   ;    winnt[32] /u:<script_file> /s:<source>
      .
      .
      .
   ;[GuiUnattended]
   ;
   ; You need to define the !UpgradeEnableDhcp if you upgrade from Windows
     NT 3.1 to Windows NT Workstation v3.5. Specify for upgrades ONLY!
   ;
   ; !UpgradeEnableDhcp = YES | NO

The section above implies that the switch, !UpgradeEnableDhcp, will be set to YES in the script file for an unattended installation, thereby automatically enabling DHCP during the upgrade.

RESOLUTION

Setup Manager does set !UpgradeEnableDhcp equal to YES. However, if you didn't have TCP/IP installed under Windows NT 3.1, you will not have TCP/IP installed after you upgrade to Windows NT 3.5. If you did have TCP/IP installed, you are prompted during the upgrade process to configure TCP/IP with a static IP address or with DHCP.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.5. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The help file for Windows NT Setup Manager includes the same incorrect information as the UNATTEND.TXT file. Under the heading "Upgrading Windows NT using an Unattended Answer File" it states that existing configuration information for an upgrade will take precedence over settings in the unattended answer file. The help file also states that this precedence applies for network configuration information. However, the help file then states:

The one exception to this case is the Enable DHCP entry which is used only during upgrades.

Additional query words: 3.50 prodnt reskit unattend.txt setupmgr dhcp upgrade tcpip

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