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Planning Your Microsoft Whistler Advanced Server Installation
Release Notes, Part 1 of 4
Beta 2
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(c) 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
These notes support a preliminary release of a software program that
bears the project code name Whistler.
This text file series helps you plan for the installation of
Whistler Advanced Server on a domain (grouping) of two to five
servers, serving 100 or fewer clients. For help with planning the
installation of a larger number of servers, see the "Microsoft Windows
2000 Server Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide."
The following list of headings will help you find the information
that applies to you:
Sections to read if you are upgrading:
1.0 System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility
2.0 Important Files to Review
3.1 Upgrading
4.0 Decisions to Make for an Upgrade
5.0 Upgrading an Existing Windows NT 4.0 Domain
9.0 Choosing a File System
Sections to read if you are performing a new installation:
1.0 System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility
2.0 Important Files to Review
3.2 Installing
6.0 Decisions to Make for a New Installation
7.0 Choosing a Licensing Mode
8.0 Deciding Whether a Computer Will Contain More Than One
Operating System
9.0 Choosing a File System
10.0 Planning Disk Partitions for New Installations
11.0 Choosing Components to Install
12.0 Networks: TCP/IP, IP Addresses, and Name Resolution
13.0 Deciding Between Workgroups and Domains
After making the decisions outlined in this text file series, you'll
be ready to run Whistler Setup and, later, to use the Configure Your
Server Wizard. Together, Setup and the Configure Your Server Wizard
help you get your servers up and running quickly. To find out more
about the Configure Your Server Wizard, see Whistler Help and Support
Services. To open Help and Support Services, after completing Setup,
click Start, and then click Help and Support.
======================================================================
1.0 System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility
======================================================================
Before installing your server, make sure that you have chosen
hardware that supports Whistler Advanced Server.
1.1 System Requirements
======================================================================
To ensure adequate performance, the computers on which you
will install Whistler Advanced Server must meet the following
requirements:
* Pentium or higher central processing unit (CPU).
* On x86-based computers, the minimum CPU speed supported is 233
MHz, with a recommended speed of 550 MHz.
* On Itanium-based computers, the minimum CPU speed supported is
800 MHz.
* A maximum of 8 CPUs per computer are supported.
* RAM:
* On x86-based computers, 256 MB of RAM is recommended, while the
minimum amount of RAM required is 128 MB and the maximum is
32 GB.
* On Itanium-based computers, the minimum amount of RAM required is
1 GB.
For computers with more than 4 GB of RAM, see the Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL), described in "Hardware Compatibility"
later in this text file series.
* Hard disk partition: the minimum amount of space required is
approximately 1 GB. More space might be needed, depending on the
following:
* The components being installed: the more components, the more
space needed.
* The file system used: FAT requires 100-200 MB more free disk
space than other file systems. (NTFS is the recommended file
system.)
* The method used for installation: if installing across a
network, allow 100-200 MB more space than if installing from
the CD. (More driver files need to be available during
installation across a network.)
* The size of the paging file.
In addition, a domain controller upgrade from Windows NT 4.0
could require much more space than a new installation, because
the existing user accounts database can expand by as much as
a factor of ten during the upgrade as Active Directory
functionality is added.
Note: The setup process requires the free disk space described in
The previous paragraphs. After Setup is finished, actual hard
disk space used for the operating system (excluding user
accounts) is usually less than the free space required for Setup,
depending on the system components installed.
For additional information about planning the sizes of disk
partitions, including information about creating a separate
partition for Remote Installation Services, see "Planning
Disk Partitions for New Installations" later in this text
file series.
* VGA or higher-resolution monitor, keyboard, and (optionally) a
mouse or other pointing device.
Alternatively, for operation without a monitor or keyboard, you
can choose a remote diagnostic and support processor from the
list in the HCL. The HCL is described in the following section,
"Hardware Compatibility."
For CD installation:
* A CD-ROM or DVD drive.
For network installation:
* One or more Whistler-compatible network adapters and related
cables.
* A server from which to offer network access for the setup files.
1.2 Hardware Compatibility
======================================================================
Whistler Setup automatically checks your hardware and software and
reports any potential conflicts. To ensure a successful installation,
however, check to make sure your computer hardware is compatible with
Whistler Advanced Server before running Setup.
To do this, see the Whistler Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). If
your hardware is not listed, Setup might not be successful. (Note that
one type of hardware no longer supported is the microchannel bus.)
To see the version of the HCL that was released with Whistler, on the
Whistler CD, in the Support folder, open Hcl.txt. For the most up-to-
date list of supported hardware, see the Hardware Compatibility List
by visiting the Microsoft Web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/
In addition, check that you have updated drivers for your hardware
devices and that you have the latest system BIOS (for an x86-based
computer) or Extensible Firmware Interface (for an Itanium-based
computer). The device manufacturers can help you obtain these
items. For more information about the ACPI standard for the BIOS, see
"Understanding ACPI BIOS" later in this text file series.
Finally, before installing Whistler Advanced Server, consider taking
a device inventory of the hardware devices in your computer. For more
information, see the following section.
1.3 Taking an Optional Device Inventory
======================================================================
To ensure smooth functioning of your adapters and other devices in
your computer, be sure to read "System Requirements" and "Hardware
Compatibility" earlier in this text file series. For specific
information about using a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI,
RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) with a driver that was supplied by the
manufacturer, see "Providing a Mass Storage Driver or a HAL File"
later in this text file series.
Whistler includes Plug and Play technology so that devices (for
example, video and network adapters) can be automatically recognized
by the operating system, configuration conflicts are avoided, and you
do not have to specify each device's settings by hand. However, if you
have devices that do not use Plug and Play, or you are aware that your
Plug and Play devices are not implemented exactly to the standards,
you might want to take steps to avoid device configuration conflicts.
This section describes the steps you can take, if you choose, to
understand your device configuration before running Setup.
To better understand the configuration of the devices in your
computer, take an inventory. To do this, if your computer has an
existing operating system, use it to obtain the current settings, such
as memory address and interrupt request (IRQ), used with your devices.
For example, with Windows NT 4.0, you can use Control Panel to view
settings (on the Start menu, point to Settings, click Control Panel,
and then double-click icons such as Network and Ports). You might also
choose to view system BIOS information. To do this, watch the screen
while starting the computer, and then press the appropriate key when
prompted.
During Setup, Whistler automatically takes a device inventory as
well. However, taking your own inventory helps prevent the following
difficulties:
* If two or more adapters share IRQ settings or memory addresses,
Whistler might not be able to resolve the conflict. To prevent
this, you can take one of two approaches.
You can remove one of the adapters before running Setup and
re-install it afterward. For more information about hardware and
configuration, see Whistler Help and Support Services. To open Help
and Support Services, after completing Setup, click Start, and then
click Help and Support.
Alternatively, you can modify one adapter's IRQ settings and
memory addresses before running Setup so that each adapter's
settings are unique.
* If adapters do not respond in a standard way to the attempts by
Whistler to detect or enumerate them, Whistler might receive
indecipherable or inaccurate information. In this case, you
might need to remove these devices before running Setup, and
re-install and configure them afterward. For more information
about hardware and for configuration guidance, see Whistler Help
and Support Services. To open Help and Support Services, after
completing Setup, click Start, and then click Help and Support.
The following table lists the kinds of information to gather before
starting Setup.
ADAPTER INFORMATION TO GATHER
------------- -----------------------------------------------
Video Adapter or chip set type and how many video
adapters
Network IRQ, I/O address, DMA (if used), connector
type (for example, BNC or twisted pair),
and bus type
SCSI controller Adapter model or chip set, IRQ, and bus type
Mouse Mouse type and port (COM1, COM2, bus, or PS/2)
or USB
I/O port IRQ, I/O address, and DMA (if used) for
each I/O port
Sound adapter IRQ, I/O address, and DMA
Universal serial Devices and hubs attached
bus (USB)
PC card What adapters are inserted and in which slots
Plug and Play Whether enabled or disabled in BIOS
BIOS settings BIOS revision and date
External modem Com port connections (COM1, COM2, and so on)
Internal modem Com port connections; for nonstandard
configurations, IRQ and I/0 address
Advanced Enabled or disabled; current setting
Configuration and
Power Interface
(ACPI); Power
Options
PCI What PCI adapters are inserted and in which
slots
1.3.1 Understanding ACPI BIOS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For x86-based computers, the basic input/output system (BIOS) is a
set of software through which the operating system (or Setup)
communicates with the computer's hardware devices. The Advanced
Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) is the current standard for
the way the BIOS works. Whistler supports not only ACPI-compliant BIOS
versions, but also some BIOS versions based on older advanced power
management (APM) and Plug and Play designs.
Some ACPI-based BIOS versions are not compliant with the standard.
The more recent the version of an ACPI BIOS, the more likely that it
is compliant. An ACPI-based BIOS that is not compliant with the ACPI
standard might not support workable communication between the
operating system (or Setup) and your hardware. If workable
communication is not supported, Setup stops and displays instructions
for contacting your hardware manufacturer and taking other steps to
solve the problem. If this happens, follow the instructions that
appear on your screen.
To learn more about the ACPI compliance of your BIOS:
* For information about which ACPI-based BIOS versions are
ACPI-compliant, see the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for
Whistler. This is the definitive source for this information.
For information about the HCL, see "Hardware Compatibility"
earlier in this text file series.
* For information about your BIOS version, before running Setup,
restart the computer and watch the text on the screen. Pay
particular attention to blocks of text containing the words
"BIOS" or "ACPI BIOS."
* For information about BIOS versions for your hardware, see your
hardware documentation and contact your hardware manufacturer.
======================================================================
2.0 Important Files to Review
======================================================================
At some point in your planning process, before running Setup,
familiarize yourself with important files found on the root directory
of the Whistler Advanced Server CD:
* Read1st.txt Contains critical preinstallation notes vital to the
success of your installation.
* Readme.doc Contains important usage information about hardware,
networks, applications, and printing.
You should also review the Hardware Compatibility List for Whistler
Advanced Server. For more information, see "Hardware Compatibility"
earlier in this text file series.
======================================================================
3.0 Deciding Whether to Upgrade or Install
======================================================================
After you have reviewed "System Requirements," "Hardware
Compatibility," and "Important Files to Review" earlier in this text
file series, and before you run Whistler Advanced Server Setup, you
will need to determine whether to upgrade or to perform a new
installation. Upgrading is replacing a version of Windows NT or
Windows 2000 with Whistler Advanced Server. Installing, in contrast
to upgrading, means wiping out the previous operating system, or
installing Whistler Advanced Server on a disk or disk partition with
no previous operating system.
Note: Do not upgrade to or install Whistler on a compressed drive
Unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression
utility. Uncompress a DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volume before running
Whistler Setup on it.
If you have already decided whether to upgrade or to perform a new
installation, see the following sections later in this text file
series:
* For an upgrade: see "Decisions to Make for an Upgrade."
* For a new installation: see "Decisions to Make for a New
Installation."
There are several reasons to choose to upgrade. (To determine whether
your old operating system is a version from which you can upgrade, see
the following section, "Upgrading.") Configuration is simpler, and
your existing users, settings, groups, rights, and permissions are
retained. In addition, files and applications do not need to be
re-installed. As with any major changes to the hard disk, however,
you should back up the disk before running Setup.
It is possible to install Whistler Advanced Server and also allow the
computer to sometimes run another operating system. Setting up the
computer this way, however, presents complexities because of file
system issues. For more information, see "Deciding Whether a Computer
Will Contain More Than One Operating System" later in this text file
series.
3.1 Upgrading
======================================================================
If you upgrade, Setup automatically installs Whistler into the same
folder as the currently installed operating system. You can upgrade
to Whistler Advanced Server from the following versions of Windows:
* Windows NT Server version 4.0
* Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
* Windows NT Server version 4.0, Enterprise Edition
* Windows 2000 Server
* Windows 2000 Advanced Server
If your computer is running Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition,
you can upgrade to Whistler Advanced Server, but not Whistler Server.
Note: If you are running a version of Windows NT earlier than 4.0, you cannot upgrade directly to Whistler from it. You must first upgrade to Windows NT Server 4.0.
3.2 Installing
======================================================================
If you plan to perform a new installation, note that:
* For a new installation on a disk partition that contains
applications you want to keep, you must back up the applications
and re-install them after installing Whistler Advanced Server.
* If you want to perform a new installation of Whistler Advanced
Server on a partition that previously contained Whistler
Advanced Server, and if you want to keep any documents saved in the
My Documents folder, back them up before beginning the
installation. You can use Search to find the documents. After
completing the new installation, you can copy the documents back to
the My Documents folder.
======================================================================
4.0 Decisions to Make for an Upgrade
======================================================================
If you are upgrading, and you have a Windows NT 4.0 domain, you will
need to decide on the order of server upgrades. For more information,
see the following sections later in this text file series:
* "Upgrading an Existing Windows NT 4.0 Domain"
* "Planning the Order of Server Upgrades in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain"
* "Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Domain Controllers
First"
* "Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Member Servers
First"
In addition, if you are upgrading from Windows NT 4.0, you will need
to decide whether to convert the file system, on any FAT or FAT32
partitions you might have, to the NTFS file system. For more
information, see "Choosing a File System" later in this text file
series.
======================================================================
5.0 Upgrading an Existing Windows NT 4.0 Domain
======================================================================
Domains are an important feature of Windows servers and clients. A
domain is a grouping of accounts and network resources under a single
domain name and security boundary. It is necessary to have one or more
domains if you want to use domain-based user accounts and other domain
security features in Whistler. (This was true for Windows NT and
Windows 2000 as well.)
On computers running Whistler, servers can have one of three roles in
relation to domains:
* Domain controllers contain matching copies of the user accounts
and other Active Directory data in a given domain.
* Member servers belong to a domain but do not contain a copy of the
Active Directory data.
* Stand-alone servers belong to a workgroup rather than a domain.
A domain must have at least one domain controller. For resilience, a
domain should have multiple domain controllers to support the handling
of logon requests and directory updates.
Before running Setup, you should plan the roles that your servers will
Have within domains in Whistler. However, you can still adjust these
roles after completing Setup.
There are a number of important points to remember about upgrading an
existing Windows NT 4.0 domain to run with Whistler:
* You must use the NTFS file system on domain controllers. In
addition, any servers that have any partition formatted with FAT
or FAT32 will lack many security features. For example, on FAT
or FAT32 partitions, a shared folder can be protected only by
the permissions set on the share, not on individual files, and
there is no software protection against local access to the
partition.
* If you want to upgrade a server and then use the same applications
as before, be sure to read about application compatibility.
One important source of application compatibility information is
Read1st.txt and the Application Compatibility section of Readme.doc
(in the root directory of the Whistler CD). For more information
about these files, see "Important Files to Review" earlier in
this text file series.
* You can upgrade member servers before or after upgrading domain
controllers. However, when you upgrade the domain controllers in
a Windows NT domain to Whistler, you must upgrade the primary
domain controller first.
* When you begin upgrading domain controllers, if you have a remote
access server that is a member server, you should upgrade it before
the last domain controller is upgraded. Such a server is dependent
on domain controllers for user information and therefore should not
be "left behind" when domain controllers are upgraded. As an
alternative, you can weakendecrease the security permissions on
Active Directory so that the remote access server running Windows
NT can read user attributes from the Whistler domain controllers.
For more information, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide."
The roles of the servers in a domain are named somewhat differently
by computers running Whistler Advanced Server as compared with those
running Windows NT. On computers running Windows NT, the possible
roles were primary domain controller (limited to one per domain),
backup domain controller, member server, or stand-alone server.
Whistler has only one kind of domain controller (without a
"primary" or "backup" designation), and it includes the roles of
member server and stand-alone server. When you upgrade, Setup assigns
server roles as follows:
ROLE IN WINDOWS NT DOMAIN ROLE IN WHISTLER DOMAIN
-------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Primary domain controller Domain controller
Backup domain controller Your choice of domain controller or
member server
Member server Member server
Stand-alone server Stand-alone server
5.1 Planning the Order of Server Upgrades in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain
======================================================================
When planning the order of server upgrades in a Windows NT 4.0
domain, there are two somewhat different approaches to choose between:
upgrading the domain controllers first, or upgrading the member
servers first. You can mix these approaches. However, if you have a
Windows NT domain and you want to begin upgrading domain controllers,
you must upgrade the primary domain controller first.
If you upgrade member servers first (without upgrading domain
controllers), a variety of features become available, but none that
require Active Directory. Once you begin upgrading domain controllers,
Active Directory features become available.
For additional information about planning the order of server
upgrades in a Windows NT 4.0 domain, see the following:
* For background information about server roles (which you must
understand to plan the order of server upgrades), see "Upgrading
an Existing Windows NT 4.0 Domain" earlier in this text file
series.
* For more detailed information about upgrading domains, or
information about upgrading domains with more than five servers,
see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit, Deployment
Planning Guide."
* For information about how to carry out each kind of upgrade, see
"Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Domain
Controllers First" or "Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by
Upgrading Member Servers First" later in this text file series.
The lists in "Features Available with Upgrade of Windows NT 4.0
Domain Controllers" and "Features Available with Upgrade of Any Server
in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain," later in this text file series, show the
features that are available with each approach to upgrading servers.
5.1.1 Features Available with Upgrade of Windows NT 4.0 Domain
Controllers
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When Windows NT domain controllers are upgraded and begin
communicating on a network, all the features of Whistler become
available through these servers. Of these features, the Active
Directory features are listed in this section, and a number of other
features are listed in "Features Available with Upgrade of Any Server
in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain" later in this text file series.
Note: The features available when domain controllers are upgraded
include not only the features in the following list, but also the
features in "Features Available with Upgrade of Any Server in a
Windows NT 4.0 Domain" later in this text file series.
Active Directory includes the following features:
* Simplified management of network-resource information and user
information.
* Group Policy, which you can use to set policies that apply across
a given site, domain, or organizational unit in Active
Directory.
* Security and authentication features, including support for
Kerberos V5, Secure Sockets Layer V3, and Transport Layer
Security using X.509v3 certificates.
* Directory consolidation, through which you can organize and
simplify the management of users, computers, applications, and
devices, and make it easier for users to find the information
they need. You can take advantage of synchronization support
through interfaces based on the Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) and work with directory consolidation
requirements specific to your applications.
* Directory-enabled applications and infrastructure, which make
it easier to configure and manage applications and other
directory-enabled network components.
* Scalability without complexity, a result of Active Directory
scaling to millions of objects per domain and using indexing
technology and advanced replication techniques to speed
performance.
* Use of Internet standards, including access through LDAP and a
namespace based on the Domain Name System (DNS).
* Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI), a powerful development
environment.
* Additional features.
5.1.2 Features Available with Upgrade of Any Server in a Windows
NT 4.0 Domain
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The features in the following list are available when member servers
are upgraded in a Windows NT domain, regardless of whether domain
controllers have been upgraded. The features available when domain
controllers are upgraded include not only the features in the
following list, but also the features in the previous one.
* Management tools:
Microsoft Management Console
Plug and Play
Device Manager
Add Hardware Wizard (in Control Panel)
Support for universal serial bus
Enhanced Backup utility
* File system support: The version of NTFS in Whistler includes
support for disk quotas, the ability to defragment directory
structures, and compressed network I/O.
* Application services: Win32 Driver Model, DirectX 7.0, and Windows
Script Host.
* Printer protocol support: Device and protocol support allowing
choices from more than 2,500 different printers. Other printing
enhancements are included, for example, Internet Printing
Protocol support, which allows users to print directly to a URL
over an intranet or the Internet.
* Scalability and availability: Improved symmetric multiprocessor
support as compared to Windows NT.
* Security: Encrypting file system.
5.2 Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Domain Controllers First
======================================================================
You can upgrade a Windows NT 4.0 domain by taking one of two general
approaches: upgrading domain controllers first or member servers
first. If you are not sure which approach you want to take,
see "Planning the Order of Server Upgrades in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain"
earlier in this text file series.
If you upgrade your Windows NT domain by upgrading the domain
controllers first, the upgrade has the following three stages:
* Carrying out backups and other preparations so you can restore the
previous installation if necessary.
* Upgrading the primary domain controller. You must do this before
upgrading any backup domain controllers.
* Upgrading other servers in the domain.
This section describes the actions to take for these stages. For a
more in-depth discussion of planning the upgrade of domain
controllers, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit,
Deployment Planning Guide." For information about what versions of
Windows NT can be upgraded to Whistler Advanced Server, see
"Upgrading" earlier in this text file series.
5.2.1 Backups and Other Preparations
----------------------------------------------------------------------
As with any major change to the contents of hard disks on your
servers, you should back up each server before upgrading it. Also, be
sure to review "Preparing Your System for an Upgrade" later in this
text file series.
In addition, to safeguard your existing network integrity, you might
consider removing a backup domain controller temporarily from a
network. To do this, in your existing Windows NT network, choose a
backup domain controller, ensure that it has a current copy of the
user accounts database, and back it up. Then disconnect its network
cable. After upgrading your primary domain controller to Whistler (you
must upgrade the primary domain controller first), this disconnected
system is available for promotion to a Windows NT primary domain
controller if needed. However, in the course of a successful upgrade,
you would not and could not promote the Windows NT backup domain
controller to primary domain controller. Instead, you would continue
the upgrade process, eventually reconnecting the disconnected server
and upgrading it.
Also, for any computer that will be a domain controller in the
Whistler domain, make sure that there is plenty of free space on the
disk, beyond the space needed for the operating system itself. (For
information about the disk requirements for the operating system, see
"System Requirements" earlier in this text file series.) When Setup
upgrades the user accounts database from the format used by Windows NT
to the format used by Whistler Advanced Server, the database can
expand by as much as a factor of ten.
5.2.2 Upgrading Servers
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The first domain controller to be upgraded in a Windows NT domain
must be the primary domain controller. As you upgrade this server, you
will be given the choices of creating a new domain or a child domain,
and of creating a new forest or a domain tree in an existing forest.
For the upgrading of a domain of two to five servers (which is the
size of domains discussed in this text file series), create a new
domain and a new forest. For information about domain structures to
use with larger numbers of servers, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000
Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide."
During the upgrade, you can choose the location of three important
items: the database containing user accounts and other Active
Directory data, the log file, and the system volume (SYSVOL) folder.
The database and the log file can be on any kind of partition (FAT,
FAT32, or NTFS). The database can expand by as much as a factor of ten
from the size it was in Windows NT, so allow plenty of room for it.
(Initially, the log file will take up very little space.) The SYSVOL
folder must be on an NTFS partition. (For information about
NTFS and other file systems, see "Choosing a File System" later in
this text file series.)
After the primary domain controller is upgraded to a Whistler domain
controller, it will be fully backward-compatible. This means that the
domain controller appears as a Whistler domain controller to Whistler
servers and clients, but emulates a Windows NT 4.0 primary domain
controller to Windows NT 4.0 servers and clients.
After upgrading your primary domain controller and ensuring that it
is functioning to your satisfaction, upgrade any backup domain
controllers next. (If possible, it is best to begin the upgrades soon,
rather than allowing a long delay.) Also, if you are running a remote
access server that is a member server, you should upgrade it
before the last domain controller is upgraded. A remote-access member
server is dependent on domain controllers for user information and
therefore should not be "left behind" when domain controllers are
upgraded. As an alternative, you can weaken the security permissions
on Active Directory so that the remote access server running Windows
NT can read user attributes from the Whistler domain controllers. For
more information, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit,
Deployment Planning Guide."
Note: When the second domain controller is upgraded, it copies the
first (formerly the primary) domain controller. Therefore, be sure
that the first domain controller is running and available on the
network as you upgrade the second. Similarly, be sure that at least
one Whistler domain controller is available on the network when you
upgrade the third, fourth, and any remaining Windows NT domain
controllers.
Upgrade the backup domain controllers one at a time (ensure that each
is backed up before upgrading). Start and test each server on the
network to ensure that it is functioning to your satisfaction before
upgrading another backup domain controller.
When you have completely upgraded all domain controllers to Whistler
domain controllers, you have the option of changing the domain from
mixed mode (where Windows NT domain controllers can exist in the
domain) to native mode (where only Whistler domain controllers can
exist in the domain). This is an important decision, because you
cannot revert to mixed mode after changing to native mode.
For information about domain trees, mixed mode, native mode, or any
other item related to domains, see the topics under Active Directory
in Whistler Help and Support Services. To open Help and Support
Services, after completing Setup, click Start, and then click Help and
Support. For information about performing upgrades in domains larger
than two to five servers, see the "Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide."
5.3 Upgrading a Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Member Servers
First
======================================================================
You can upgrade a Windows NT 4.0 domain by taking one of two general
approaches: upgrading domain controllers first or member servers
first. For information about the advantages and disadvantages of each
approach, see "Planning the Order of Server Upgrades in a Windows NT
4.0 Domain" earlier in this text file series.
Note: If you have a remote access server that is a member server, and
you have begun upgrading any domain controllers, be sure to read
"Upgrading Servers" earlier in this text file series.
Before upgrading any server, be sure to back it up, and review
"Preparing Your System for an Upgrade" later in this text file series.
If you upgrade a Windows NT 4.0 domain by upgrading member servers
first, you can upgrade one, a few, or all of the member servers at a
given time. Choose the order of the upgrades by considering which of
your servers would be most improved by the features in the Whistler
Server family. For information about the features available when
member servers are upgraded, see "Features Available with Upgrade of
Any Server in a Windows NT 4.0 Domain" earlier in this text file
series.
After upgrading member servers in a domain, when you are ready to
upgrade domain controllers, follow the instructions in "Upgrading a
Windows NT 4.0 Domain by Upgrading Domain Controllers First" earlier
in this text file series.
======================================================================
6.0 Decisions to Make for a New Installation
======================================================================
The following list outlines the basic decisions you will need to make
if you have decided to perform a new installation. Each area is
discussed in more detail in the sections that follow. You will need
to consider the following:
6.1 What Licensing Mode to Use
======================================================================
Products in the Whistler Server family support two licensing modes:
Per Seat and Per Server. The Per Seat mode requires a separate Client
Access License (CAL) for each computer that accesses a server running
Whistler. The Per Server mode requires a separate CAL for each
concurrent connection to a server.
If you plan to use Terminal Server, you will probably choose Per Seat
licensing, and you will also need to install two components, Terminal
Server and Terminal Server Licensing. For more information about
licensing, see "Choosing a Licensing Mode" later in this text file
series. For more information about Terminal Server components,
see "Choosing Components to Install" later in this text file series.
6.2 Whether You Want to Be Able to Choose Between Different
Operating Systems Each Time You Start the Computer
======================================================================
A computer can be set up so that each time you restart it, you can
choose from several different operating systems. For more information,
see "Deciding Whether a Computer Will Contain More Than One Operating
System" later in this text file series.
6.3 What File System to Use
======================================================================
The file systems to choose from are NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. You should
use NTFS because it is the only file system that supports Active
Directory, which includes many important features such as domains and
domain-based security. However, it might be necessary to have a FAT or
FAT32 partition in situations where you must set up a computer so that
it sometimes runs Whistler and sometimes runs Windows NT 4.0 or an
earlier operating system. For more information, see "Choosing a File
System" later in this text file series.
6.4 What Partition You Will Install On, or Whether You Will Need a
New Partition for Your Installation
======================================================================
If you are performing a new installation, you will need to review
your disk partitions before running Setup (for an upgrade, you will
use existing partitions). A partition divides a disk into one or more
areas that can be formatted for use by one file system. Different
partitions often have different drive letters (for example, C and
D). After running Setup, you can modify the partitioning of the disk.
For information about planning the partitions for a new installation,
see "Planning Disk Partitions for New Installations" later in this
text file series.
6.5 What Components to Install
======================================================================
There are a variety of optional components to choose from when
installing Whistler Advanced Server. You can install these components
during Setup, or you can add them later (through Add or Remove
Programs in Control Panel). Alternatively, you can use the Configure
Your Server Wizard, which will choose and install components for you
according to the type of server you specify. For more information
about components, see "Choosing Components to Install" later in this
text file series.
6.6 How to Handle Networks, IP Addresses, and TCP/IP Name Resolution
======================================================================
Most networked computers currently use TCP/IP as the network
protocol. If you use a different network protocol, before running
Setup you will need to familiarize yourself with your current
settings. With TCP/IP (the protocol used on the Internet), you will
need to make decisions about how to handle IP addresses and how they
will be resolved (translated) into names that users recognize. For
more information, see "Networks: TCP/IP, IP Addresses, and Name
Resolution" later in this text file series.
6.7 Whether to Create Domains or Workgroups for Your Servers
======================================================================
A domain is a grouping of accounts and network resources under a
single domain name and security boundary. A workgroup is more basic,
intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared
folders within that group. Domains make it easier for an administrator
to control access to resources and keep track of users. For more
information, see "Upgrading an Existing Windows NT 4.0 Domain" earlier
in this text file series and "Deciding Between Workgroups and Domains"
later in this text file series.
======================================================================
7.0 Choosing a Licensing Mode
======================================================================
Products in the Whistler Server family support two licensing modes:
Per Seat and Per Server.
If you choose the Per Seat mode, each computer that accesses a server
running Whistler requires a separate Client Access License (CAL). With
one CAL, a particular client computer can connect to any number of
servers. This is the most commonly used licensing method for companies
with more than one server running a product from the Whistler Server
family.
In contrast, Per Server licensing means that each concurrent
connection to this server requires a separate CAL. In other words,
this server can support a fixed number of connections at any one time.
For example, if you selected the Per Server client licensing mode and
five concurrent connections, this server could have five computers
(clients) connected at any one time. Those computers would not need
any additional licenses.
The Per Server licensing mode is often preferred by small companies
with only one server running Whistler Advanced Server. It is also
useful for Internet or remote access servers where the client
computers might not be licensed as Whistler network clients. You can
specify a maximum number of concurrent server connections and reject
any additional logon requests.
If you are unsure which mode to use, choose Per Server because you can
change once from Per Server to Per Seat at no cost. (However, if you
plan to use Terminal Server, see the next paragraph.)
If you plan to use Terminal Server, the licensing mode is usually Per
Seat, except with the Terminal Server Internet Connector license
where the mode is always Per Server. In addition, you also need to
install two components: Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing.
For more information about these components, see "Choosing Components
to Install" later in this text file series.
(continued in AdvSrv2.txt)