Mixing server versions...

[valden83]

I am wondering if it is possible to have my backup domain controllers running windows 2000 server while my primary domain controller runs 2003 server. Is this possible? Also I was told that to be legal, I need to run windows 2003 server on all servers in my company's domain. Is this person full of it? I mean 2000 server and 2003 server are able to be mixed right?

Thanks!

 

[nweaver]

yes, they can be mixed in pure Active Directory mode. Somone needs to go back to MS propoganda school and learn how to sell you "upgrades" better then that lame line.

 

[valden83]

Thanks. Hehe i thought he was a few fries short of a happy meal...

I am wondering however. How does licensing work when we start changing 2000 servers over to 2003? We have the standard product licenses with our server software, however I am not sure if our 2000 server CALs are also applicable to 2003. if we have 165 CALs with 2000 server, can these be used in 2003 server or do we need to A) Purchase a whole new set of CALs for 2003 or B) Upgrade our 2000 server CALs somehow.

Thanks!

 

[valden83]

Anyone else able to shed some light? thanks!

 

[stash]

There's no such thing as primary domain controllers and backup domain controllers in AD. You can run a mix of 2000 and 2003 DCs without a problem, you just miss out on the features that a full 2003 domain offers.

 

[mdisabatino]

I just went through this process here at my company. From what I have been able to tell, Windows 2000 CALs will NOT work for 2003. You can purchase Windows Server 2003 CALs and "downgrade" them through microsoft's licensing site to Server 2000 CALs, but not the other way around. Basically, if you have a 2K server and a 2K3 server, you need TWO CALs per user; one for the 2K box, and one for the 2K3 box. It would be nice if there was a single "Server CAL", rather than version specific ones, but hey, that's part of the microsoft business model, right?

 

[mikecel79]

Originally posted by: mdisabatino
I just went through this process here at my company. From what I have been able to tell, Windows 2000 CALs will NOT work for 2003. You can purchase Windows Server 2003 CALs and "downgrade" them through microsoft's licensing site to Server 2000 CALs, but not the other way around. Basically, if you have a 2K server and a 2K3 server, you need TWO CALs per user; one for the 2K box, and one for the 2K3 box. It would be nice if there was a single "Server CAL", rather than version specific ones, but hey, that's part of the microsoft business model, right?

No you don't need TWO CALs. All he would need it Windows 2003 CALs in order to legally access resources on Windows 2000 Servers. The Windows 2003 CALs can be downgraded to use any previous version of Windows CALs. This is all assuming you a using are using Per User or Per Device licensing model.

This site clearly explains your downgrade rights. All he would need to do is purchase Windows 2003 Per User or Per Devices CALs and he would be able to use those to access any Windows 2000 or Windows NT server.