I've done a bunch of searching and can't find a definitive answer to whether it's possible to migrate from an existing Windows Server 2003 R2 (standard edition) domain controller, to a Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials domain controller (on new hardware).
Microsoft don't list it as one of their migration scenarios on Technet, but they don't explicitly say it's not possible either.
I found one forum thread that suggested it was not possible, but other articles I've seen make it sound like it is possible.
Can anyone say whether a migration from 2003 standard to 2012 essentials will work? It may be worth mentioning that the 2003 standard is 32 bit (I've read that can require extra steps to migrate active directory in some cases).
Also, I would (naturally) be retiring the 2003 domain controller after the migration.
Best Answer
I did a test as I had similar question and needed to find out for myself (for a client) if I could upgrade Windows 2003 to Windows 2016 Essentials. It is not officially documented anywhere, but did a test using a bare bones Windows 2003 Std server (not even any updates) and a trial Windows 2016 Essentials version. Actually both were in trial mode.
IF DOING THIS ON A PRODUCTION SERVER, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. MAKE BACKUPS, etc.
This is just a quick rundown and by no means a complete step by step. On VM’s or test PC, whatever floats your boat. I also assume you will have experience with migrating domains.
That did it for me. No issues so far, although this is a test scenario. But it can be done in my opinion. If anyone has found otherwise, please let us know.