Step 6: Demote and remove the Source Server from the new Windows Server Essentials network
Applies To: Windows Server 2016 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
After you finish installing Windows Server Essentials and you complete the migration, you must perform the following tasks:
Remove Active Directory Certificate Services
The procedure is slightly different if you have multiple Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) role services installed on a single server. You can use the following procedure to uninstall an AD CS role service and to retain other AD CS role services.
To complete this procedure, you must log on with the same permissions as the user who installed the certification authority (CA). If you are uninstalling an enterprise CA, membership in Enterprise Admins or its equivalent is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To remove AD CS
Log on to the Source Server as a domain administrator.
Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
Click Continue in the User Account Control dialog box.
In the Roles Summary section, click Remove Roles.
In the Remove Roles Wizard, click Next.
Clear the Active Directory Certificate Services check box, and then click Next.
On the Confirm Removal Options page, review the information, and then click Remove.
Note
If Internet Information Services (IIS) is running, you are prompted to stop the service before proceeding. Click OK.
Note
First, you may need to remove Certification Authority Web Enrollment, if it's installed.
When the Remove Roles Wizard finishes, restart the server to complete the uninstallation process.
Important
Restart the server even if you are not prompted to do so.
Disconnect printers directly connected to the Source Server
Before you demote the Source Server, physically disconnect any printers that are directly connected to the Source Server and are shared through the Source Server. Ensure that no Active Directory objects remain for the printers that were directly connected to the Source Server. The printers can then be directly connected to the Destination Server and shared from Windows Server Essentials.
Demote the Source Server
Before you demote the Source Server from the role of the AD DS domain controller to the role of a domain member server, ensure that Group Policy settings are applied to all client computers, as described in the following procedure.
Important
The Source Server and the Destination Server must be connected to the network while the Group Policy changes are updated on the client computers.
To force a Group Policy update on a client computer
Sign in to the client computer as an administrator.
Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator.
At the command prompt, type gpupdate /force, and then press ENTER.
The process may require you to log off and log on again to finish. Click Yes to confirm.
If you're migrating from Windows Server Essentials or its previous versions, to demote the server, see Remove Active Directory Domain Services. After you add the Source Server as a member of a workgroup and disconnect it from the network, you must remove it from AD DS on the Destination Server.
If you're migrating from Windows Server Essentials, use Server Manager to remove the Active Directory Domain Services role, thereby demoting the domain controller on the Source Server using the following procedure:
To remove the Source Server from Active Directory
On the Destination Server, open Active Directory Users and Computers.
In the Active Directory Users and Computers navigation pane, expand the domain name, and then expand Computers.
If the Source Server still exists in the list of servers, right-click the Source Server name, click Delete, and then click Yes.
Verify that the Source Server is not listed, and then close Active Directory Users and Computers.
Remove and re-purpose the Source Server
Turn off the Source Server and disconnect it from the network. We recommend that you do not reformat the Source Server for at least one week to ensure that all the necessary data migrated to the Destination Server. After you have verified that all the data has migrated, you can reinstall this server on the network as a secondary server for other tasks, if required.
Note
After you demote and remove the Source Server, restart the Destination Server.
After you demote the Source Server, it is not in a healthy state. If you want to repurpose the Source Server, the simplest way is to reformat it, install a server operating system, and then set it up for use as an additional server.
Next steps
You have demoted and removed the Source Server from the new Windows Server Essentials network. Now go to Step 7: Perform post-migration tasks for the Windows Server Essentials migration.
To view all the steps, see Migrate to Windows Server Essentials.