Migrating from Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 Active Directory to Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory

For organizations that already have a Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 Active Directory environment, migrating to Windows Server 2008 R2 for Active Directory functionality can provide access to several additional capabilities that require a Windows network to be running on Windows Server 2008 R2. Some of the Windows Server 2008 R2 technologies that require implementation of the Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory include Active Directory Recycle Bin, Managed Service Accounts, PowerShell Administration, and Offline Domain Join capabilities as the most popular solutions.

Fortunately, organizations that already have Windows 2003 or 2008 Active Directory in place have completed the hard part of the Active Directory implementation process. Effectively, Windows Server 2008 R2 uses the same Active Directory organizational structure that was created with Windows 2003 or 2008, so forests, domain trees, domains, organizational units, sites, groups, and users all transfer directly into Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory. If the organizational structure in Windows 2003 or 2008 meets the needs of the organization, the migration to Windows Server 2008 R2 is predominantly just the insertion of a Windows Server 2008 R2 global catalog server into the existing Windows 2003 or 2008 Active Directory domain to perform a global catalog update to Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory.

“Migrating from Windows 2003/2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2”—help minimize migration risks and errors and lead to a more successful migration process. However, the migration process from Windows 2003 and Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2 is a relatively easy migration path for organizations to follow.

Source of Information : Sams - Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed