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I have a Windows 2008 R2 domain with two domain controllers. It may be an outdated way of looking at it but I consider DC1 to be my ‘main’ controller and DC2 was set up primarily as a backup DNS server.

I now have to plan for upgrading the controllers and AD domain to a more recent version and I’ve been told to go for 2016. This isn’t something I’ve done before.

Can anyone advise or point me towards a nice simple step-by-step guide on how to achieve the upgrade?

All machines are VMs in a VMware cluster and the aim is to migrate both DCs to new 2016 VMs.

Thanks

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While Windows upgrades have come a long way from past days, Microsoft advises against upgrading the OS of Sharepoint, Exchange, and DCs. In the case of a DC, you are to build a new VM and promote it. Exchange and Sharepoint are a lot of work, but spinning up a new DC is very little work.

I’d also point out that Server 2016 is almost six years old at this point…Server 2022 was released very recently. If that’s newer than you want to go, at least go to Server 2019.

Here’s the MS link. Upgrade domain controllers to a newer version of Windows Server | Microsoft Learn

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Thanks. No, I won’t be directly upgrading the existing 2008 VMs. I’m setting up two new servers with a more recent OS like 2016/19 and I want to migrate the roles/functionality from the old to the new and make sure AD is OK afterward. Once it is, I plan to do whatever I need to do in order to demote/decommission the 2008 DCs. It’s that whole process that I need a good guide for.

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Ah, yes, then you’re fine. Install the OS, patch, add the AD role, promote. Ensure everything works over a few days, demote the old ones.

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Yes - a step-by-step guide to carry those steps out. I know roughly what I have to do but I don’t want to miss any steps out or do things in the wrong order.

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https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-il/000135444/complete-guide-to-a-migration-of-a-windows-server-2008-r2-domain-controller-to-windows-server-2012-r2

should be about the same on 16.

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Thanks for that.

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As a very important side point, You would need to migrate FRS to DFSR on your Server 2008 before promoting a 2016 to a DC in your AD. Also, Make sure your AD is healthy before making any changes/updates in your domain. You could use DCDIAG/BPA tools to do this.