14.7 Summary

In this chapter, we covered the new features in Windows Server 2003 and some of the differences with Windows 2000, most of which were instigated by real-world deployment issues. We then went over how you can enable new features with the use of functional levels and why they are necessary. Next we discussed the ADPrep process and how that must be done before the first Windows Server 2003 domain controller can be promoted. Once you have your forest and domains prepared, you can start the upgrade process. We described some of the important issues to be aware of when upgrading, and finally what to do after you've completed the upgrade.

While this chapter focused mainly on upgrading from an existing Windows 2000 Active Directory infrastructure, in the next chapter we discuss some of the key issues with migrating from Windows NT straight to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory.