Q: I promoted a computer that was not originally a member of the domain. Will any applications be affected?

A: If you join a new domain (or are creating a new domain), you may need to update the embedded domain name(s) in some applications.

• SQL Server 6.5
  If you are using integrated security in SQL Server 6.5 you will need to update the "Default Domain" field in the SQL Security Manager. (No changes are required for SQL Server 7 or SQL Server 2000.)
  
  
• Exchange Server
  If you move Exchange Server to another domain users will not be able to authenticate their mailbox passwords. You may also need to change the service account. For more information see UPromote and Microsoft Exchange Server.
  
  
• System Management Server 1.2
  If you installed System Management Server 1.2 with primary or secondary sites, it will have to be uninstalled and then reinstalled with the new domain name. (No changes are required for SMS 2.0.)
  

Q: Can I use UPromote to move a BDC from one domain to another?

A: Yes. You need to run UPromote twice. Run it the first time to demote the BDC to a standalone server. Then run it the second time to promote the standalone server to a BDC in the new domain.

Note: A SID-changing tool such as newsid, and Symantec Ghost will change only the SID. Some web sites have claimed (e.g., the John Savill NT FAQ sites) that by changing only the SID you can move a BDC to another domain. This is not true. UPromote updates several additional registry keys which are essential in order to move a BDC from one domain to another safely and reliably. These registry keys include the password database serial number and the password database timestamp.

Q: What happened to my old user accounts? Can I move user accounts between domains?

A: When you move a BDC, its user accounts will be overwritten by the user accounts from the new PDC. If you need to preserve the old user accounts, you can use tools such as the Domain Migration Wizard from Aelita to copy the user accounts to the new domain. Afterwards you can use UPromote to move the computer to the new domain as a BDC.

UPromote Frequently Asked Questions