Transfer DHCP from Server 2003 to Server 2008

Microsoft has really done a great job making this process easy and smooth.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962355

• On 2003 DC open cmd prompt
• Netsh
• dhcp
• server file://servername/
• export c:\w2k3DHCPdb all
• copy to new DC
• Log onto new DC and open command prompt
• net stop dhcpserver
• rename or delete DHCP.mdb from system32\dhcp folder
• net start dhcpserver
• netsh
• dhcp
• server file://servername/
• import c:\w2k3DHCPdb
• Restart DHCP and verify that all information was moved
• Change your scope options to the correct settings if needed (ie DNS and WINS)

Don't forget to Deactivate the old server scope(s) that where transfered.

Install Windows Server 2008 SP2 Domain Controller

Install a Windows 2008 SP2 Domain Controller in a Windows 2003 Forest / Domain

Prep Forest

• run netdom query fsmo from Domain Controller to ensure Schema Master. Note the holder of the following roles
• Schema owner
• Domain role owner
• PDC role
• RID pool manager
• Infrastructure owner
• On the Domain Controller running the Schema Owner do the below:
• Attach the W2K8 DVD to Schema Master
• Navigate to D:\sources\adprep
• Run adprep /forestprep
• Type C and Enter to continue
• Allow Replication to forest before continuing
• On each DC open adsiedit.msc (note that it will state which DC it's connected to in the OU)
• Navigate to Configuration - ForestUpdates - ActiveDirectoryUpdate
• Open properties
• Check Revision attribute and should be set to "2"
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771922(WS.10).aspx

Prep Domain

• Note from previous the Infrastructure Owner
• Run the following on the Infrastructure Owner
• Attach the W2K8 DVD
• Navigate to D:\sources\adprep
• Run adprep /domainprep /gpprep
• Allow replication through forest before installing Domain controller
• On each DC open adsiedit.msc (note that it will state which DC it's connected to in the OU)
• Navigate to Domain - Root - System - Domain Updates - ActiveDirectoryUpdate
• Open Properties
• Check Revision attributes and should be set to "3"
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc770385(WS.10).aspx

Install 2008 Server Domain Controller

• Server Manager
• Roles - Add Role
• Check Active Directory Domain Services
• Install
• Close wizard and launch the active direcotry domain services installation wizard
• Existing Forest - Add a domain controller
• Current credentials
• Next
• Yes to the adprep /rodcprep (read only) warning
• Select site / next
• Leave DNS Server and Global Catalog checked - Next
• Default locations
• Enter password for Restore Mode
• Next
• Reboot on completion check
  
  Transfer FSMO Roles
• Note that MS recommends moving FSMO roles when rebooting Domain Controllers
• Log onto the DC that will be getting the FSMO roles assigned to it (ie the new one)
• Click Start - Run - type ntdsutil and press enter
• type the following commands
• roles
• connections
• connect to server *servername* (name of the server you want to roles transfered to)
• q
• transfer schema master
• transfer naming master (note that I found that this role has different tranfer names between Server 2003 SP2 R2 and Server 2008. In 2003 it was domain naming master, in 2008 it is naming master)
• transfer PDC
• transfer RID master
• transfer infrastructure master
• q
• q
• From command prompt type netdom query fsmo and check that they are on the correct domain controller

Install other management as needed

• WINS
• Note that WINS is a feature not a role in Server 2008
• Determine if you need WINS server installed
• Open Server Manager
• Click Features - Add Feature
• WINS Server select
• Install
• DHCP
• Ensure you have setup a Static IP (should have with the start of Domain controller installation)
• Server Manager
• Click Roles - Add Role
• DHCP Server
• Select NIC
• Check domain and dns server address
• Enter alternate address if desired (can do later as well)
• Enter WINS address if needed
• Enter Scopes or leave blank (I prefer blank and setting up later)
• Disable DHCPv6 unless you need it
• Enter credentials
• Install
• Don't forget to go back and configure your DHCP options later

SysPrep Windows Server 2008

Basic Server 2008 Sysprep

• Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\sysprep
• Run Sysprep.exe
• Check "Generalize" (this regenerates SID's)
• Change to Shutdown
• Bingo, done, easy.

Slipstream W2K3 SP2

Extract files needed

• Download the ISO's for W2K3
• Download the network installs for SP2
• Mount the ISO for W2K3 and copy the files to a new folder (ie C:\W2K3)
• Run from command prompt the SP2 file name ie SP2.exe /x
• Extract to an easy location ie (C:\SP2). Command for this would look like SP2.exe /x:C:\SP2

Slipstream SP2

• Navigate to C:\SP2\i386\Update and enter update.exe -s:C:\W2K3
• The slipstream will start
• Convert the W2K3 folder back into ISO form

XenServer iSCSI SR's not connecting

The other day we had an issue with one XenServer VM's hanging so I attempted to do a force reboot. Unfortunately I found that this failed (never timed out). After attempting to run xe task-cancel uuid=xxx on the task in question and that not working something that I had found said to run xe-toolstack-restart (DO NOT DO THIS). The toolstack restart failed misureably and led me to having to restart the host. Once it was back online the iSCSI fun began.

• The restarted host was the master
• It showed 'almost' all SR's as broken to include the local DVD drive
• SR's that didn't show broken still couldn't be booted from
• Broken SR's couldn't be repaired successfully

This led me to start looking at the iSCSI SAN which is an HP Lefthand Networks SAN/iQ v8.1. After opening the SAN/iQ management console I found that many of the Snapshot schedules I had setup where 'paused' due to backlog. In addition all the SS's that I had deleted where still listed, but already reported as deleted if I attempted again.

Things to note:

• The week prior one LH node had the RAID controller card fail and had to be replaced
• The failed card had been replaced and system powered back on so that it could restripe
• All VM's run off the LH Cluster that had the failed LH node in it
• Snapshots wouldn't delete from either of the 2 clusters in the LH setup (VM cluster or Storage cluster)
• Gateway connections to the XenServer host showed in a 'failed' status

The LH rep very quickly pointed out that the Local Bandwidth Priority was set to .25 MB/sec. Yikes! That's not right. Changing this setting back to the recommended 4 MB/sec helped a 'little', but not very much. We then changed it to 10 and the difference was not much better. Fortunately I did notice that within a few minutes the XenServer host has picked up it's SR's again. YEAH!

As I was waiting for things to replicate so that speeds would pick up again on the network (I had set it back to 4MB/sec by this point) it occured to me that the node with the failed RAID controller would be attempting to resync still along with all the Snapshot data.

BINGO! Shutdown the LH node that had failed and instantly everything picked up and ran at lightning speeds again. XenServer kicked in and all admin tasks worked great again. Once everything was connected and all Snapshots where taken care of I turned back on the failed LH node and let it resync which was fairly quick at this point and caused no more heart failures.

Leasons learned:

• .25 MB/sec is way to slow for admin tasks on LH nodes (I already knew this, but now I know to check it)
• Backlogged LH admin tasks can cause the iSCSI connection initiations to slow to a crawl (I was told this shouldn't affect it, but imo it clearly did).
• Don't run xe-toolstack-restart unless you absolutely have to. I could have easily fixed the root of the issue (LH replication) without the outage had I not run this command
• After major failures such as the RAID controller check up on it periodically to ensure that it's finished / processing in a timely manner. Had I done this I would have found the Snapshot issue and resync backlog days in advance.