HOW TO: P2V a domain controller

A lot has been written about P2V’ing Windows Domain controllers. The preferred way is to build a new domain controller based on a virtual machine and demote the physical domain controller.

Rebuilding a new domain controllers may not always be possible due to time constraints or other dependencies like additional software running on the domain controller which can not be easily migrated.

However, P2V’ing of a domain controller is possible under the right conditions. These conditions are the same for any other transactional service like a Microsoft SQL server or a Microsoft Exchange server and comes to the following point:

‘Make sure all transactional processes are stopped during the P2V process’

For a Windows domain controller the transactional system consists of the Active Directory database. For a Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 domain controller the Active Directory service can’t be stopped. To solve this problem, boot the system in the Directory Service Restore Mode.

--> Please see the rest of the post on the blog, seems a good way to virtualize a DC, IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO!!!!!

http://vknowledge.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/how-to-p2v-a-domain-controller/

--> If you dont know the Recovery Password, also see the post at PETRI : http://www.petri.co.il/change_recovery_console_password.htm