I have an existing NT 4.0 structure with an NT4.0 PDC and a BDC as well, and member servers etc. The PDC is also my Exchange 5.5 server. I am adding a Win 2003 Std server to the domain, in prep for exchange mail transfer. I have succesfully joined the NT40 domain as a member server, however when I try to go Active Directory with the Win 2003 server and join the NT40 domain it cannot find it, or so it says. The wizard asks the question, new domain or existing. I choose existing and it's looking for an AD DC which does not yet exist. I will not alter the existing NT40 domain, so what step am I missing? The new Win 2003 server needs to be seamless for mail transfer, login etc. The white paper on this says no problem, all can co-exist, but has no steps to do it. I know I'm missing a simple step or ???? Thanks, Dan T

You can not make a Windows 2000 or 2003 server a domain controller in an NT4 domain. You can have NT4 BDCs in an AD domain in mixed mode though. You would have to convert your existing domain to AD by upgrading your PDC to Windows 2000/2003. From the sound of it, you don't want to do that. Bottom line is if you are attempting to simply make a Windows 2003 server a domain controller in your existing NT4 domain, you can't. Glen

All I am trying to do is move my information store (Exch 5.5) , mailboxes to a new W2003 server with Exch 2003. If the new W03 server is in a new AD domain and I use ADC and/or Exmerge do I care if its not in the same domain ?? I cannot interupt the Exch 5.5 production server, until all the is moved /copied and tested also. If this needs to be in another forum, please point the way.. Thanks Dan T.

Hello, You can't move you Information store to a server running W2003 with E2003 without updating your domain with W2K or W2003 AD services. So the first step for you is to migrate you NT4 domain to a W2K or W2003 domain. You have two ways to do this: 1 upgrade in place : upgrading your NT 4 in W2K and then run a DCpromo 2 install a new domain and then use ADMT or ADC to migrate ( with ADMTv2 you keep the SID history and the passwords so no need to reaffect permissions on shares) The second step is to install E2K or E2003 and use the move mailbox to change the mailbox location from one server (ie Exch5.5)to another (ie E2K or E2003) Good luck Simo

I am about to do the exact same thing. It sounds like I might be better off installing NT4 on the new server, promoting it to pdc, and upgrading it to 2003. Afterwards, I can install Exchange and join the organization. Moving mailboxes would be straightforward from there. Am I assuming correctly? Thank you, Steve