Which Active Directory Schema?

Now that Microsoft released Windows 2003 R2, some customer have been facing issues making their R2 box a domain controller. This is simply because R2 requires an upgrade of the schema of Active Directory to a higher one from Windows 2003.

So, if you intend to use any of your R2 boxes as a domain controller, you must first upgrade the schema using adprep from the Windows 2003 R2, disc #2.

Also, disc 2 is the one that actually upgrades your Windows 2003 to R2. The first disc contains a slipstream version of Windows 2003 SP1. Disc 2 makes the box R2. So run the adprep from disc 2 and now you can introduce R2 boxes as domain controllers.

So what's the schema versions for different Windows boxes?

• 13=Microsoft Windows 2000
• 30=Original release version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• 31=Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2

"You can verify the operating system support level of the schema by looking at the value of the Schema Version registry subkey on a domain controller. You can find this subkey in the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters

You can also verify the operating system support level of the schema by using the Adsiedit.exe utility or the Ldp.exe utility to view the objectVersion attribute in the properties of the cn=schema,cn=configuration,dc= partition. The value of the Schema Version registry subkey and the objectVersion attribute are in decimal. " SRC: Microsoft KB Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917385