[Samba] NT4 Migration Question

[L. Mark Stone]

A client has an existing NT4 domain with several NT4 servers. Two of the
NT4 Servers function as a PDC and a BDC.

We are installing Samba-3 on SuSE 9.0 Pro as a PDC with an LDAP backend,
and decommissioning the NT4 PDC at the same time. So far, so good. We
can also rebuild the old PDC hardware as a Samba-3 on SuSE 9.0 Pro BDC.

Unfortunately however, the NT4 BDC cannot be removed from the network
for another six months, as it hosts a vertical application key to the
business and used every day by some 100 users at the client.  In
addition, the configuration of this BDC is quite complex; reinstalling
the OS and the vertical application would be a challenge and, given the
various customizations to the vertical application, not likely to
succeed.

Two questions then:

1. What are the implications of leaving this existing NT4 BDC in place
with a new Linux-Samba-3 PDC (and possibly a new Linux-Samba BDC)?

2. Has anyone used UPromote, which claims to do be able to demote an NT4
BDC to a member server without reinstalling the OS? (See
http://utools.com/UPromote.asp for more info.)

Thanks!
Mark

-- 
______________________________________________________________
L. Mark Stone
President
Reliable Networks of Maine, LLC
477 Congress Street, 5th Floor
Portland, ME 04107

Tel: (207) 772-5678
Cell: (917) 597-2057
Email: LMStone at RNoME.com
Web: http://www.RNoME.com