I'm looking for advice on how to upgrade our domain server that's currently running Windows Server 2012. We have a lot of security concerns and some software is no longer supported, so it's definitely time for an upgrade. We already have a license for 2025 that we can apply to the 2012 server. Our domain server also handles DNS and serves as a file server, and I'm particularly worried about the file server since we have a mixed setup with multiple partitions, including a 4TB drive and two iSCSI partitions.
We do have another server running 2022 that we plan to use as the new domain controller, but it's currently hosting two Hyper-V VMs for production portals. I've seen posts suggesting migrating files, but there's not enough space for this.
Initially, my coworker considered doing an in-place upgrade on the 2012 server, but I've read that this could lead to a lot of problems.
Also, I'm curious about how the IP/DNS handling would work during the migration since most clients and servers point to the old domain controller.
What would you recommend in this situation? Thanks for any help!
5 Answers
Last year, I migrated a similar setup with over 1,500 users from 2012 R2 to 2022, and here’s what worked for me:
- Installed Windows Server 2022 on new hardware and promoted it as a secondary domain controller.
- Waited about 24-48 hours for replication of AD, DNS, and SYSVOL.
- Verified everything was replicating properly.
- Tested by switching a few PCs to the new server as secondary DNS before transferring all roles.
- Migrated file shares using Storage Migration Service, but Robocopy works too.
- Made sure logins and file access were functioning for a week before demoting the old server.
Yes, setting up a VM as your new Domain Controller is the way to go. Transition the FSMO roles and DNS to the new server. Once that’s stable, you can start looking into upgrading what will become just your file server. It sounds like you might need more hardware as well, so keep that in mind! Each server should ideally have a dedicated role.
Have you considered going through official TechNet articles instead of forum posts? They can really guide you step by step with best practices and help outline what you should focus on during the migration process.
Do you have a virtualization environment set up, or is it all physical servers? Understanding the size of your user base and server count could help refine the strategy, so let us know!
Start by spinning up your new 2022 server and join it to the existing domain. Then, promote it to a domain controller and give it at least a week to sync before you move any roles. After everything is ready, you can migrate the FSMO roles and create a separate VM dedicated to DNS services. It’s a good idea to set up another VM just for file services to avoid overloading your domain controller. Gradually decommission the old 2012 server once everything is confirmed to be working well. This way, you’ll be on a supported OS smoothly. Good luck!
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