Adding a first Windows 2008 R2 64 bit DC in to Windows 2003

[Susan Bradley]

I am having a parent and child domain here. They are like a.locl and aa.a.local. The domain and forest functional level here is Windows 2000. While the parent and Child domain has Windows 2003 Domain Controllers. Here all looks to be working fine, but somehow there is a problem with replication. It can be due to vpn failure. I am unable to find out the issue behind this. I have to prepare the domain for Exchange 2010 which needs Windows 2008. I want to ask that can I install Windows 2008 and them promote the same to DC. Or I can simply replicate the same to Windows 2008.

[mannuraama]

For this you have to put the AD inside Windows Server 2003 Forest. You have to keep that in functionality or higher. Before you add the server you must update the schema via adprep command. The schema master must exist inside the forest domain.