Inside Windows® Server 2003

Preparing for an NT Domain Upgrade

Figure 9.1 shows a fairly simple classic NT domain configuration consisting of a single account domain with a primary domain controller (PDC) in the main office and BDCs in the outlying areas to handle local logons. Member servers in this domain validate user credentials via pass-through authentication to their respective BDCs.

Figure 9.1. Single domain with multiple BDCs to handle logon in remote locations.

In this configuration, an upgrade starts by having a little conversation with the PDC that goes something like a scene out of The Sopranos:

You sit down in front of the server and say, “You took an oath, ...