Forest And Domain Functional Levels In Windows Server 2008

You can find details on this behavior and how to revert the domain or forest functional level here.

Forest and domain functional levels in windows server 2008. It would be helpful. The default selected forest functional level is windows server 2003. By default when a new domain controller with windows server 2008 windows server 2008 r2 is being installed the lowest available functional level is windows 2000.

With windows server 2008 r2 you can now revert back or lower both the domain functional level and forest functional level of your domain provided you meet the specific conditions and limitations of this new feature described below. For example a windows server 2008 functional level requires that all domain controllers have windows server 2008 or a later operating system installed in the domain or in the forest. There are some explanations with the functions up to windows server 2008 r2 and some on the differences between windows server 2008 r2 and windows server 2012.

Forest functional level ffl 2 windows server 2003 and the domain pdc operations master running at least windows 2003 sp2. Today i recognized that it is not easy to find a comprehensive summary table about active directory domain and forest functional levels operating mode on the internet. After the domain functional level is raised to a higher level it can only be changed back to an older level by using a forest recovery.

The primary dc operations master fsmo must run on either server 2008 or windows 2003 sp2 for the promotion of a new read only dc administrator role separation. In previous versions of windows server changes to domain functional levels dfl and forest functional level ffl could not be rolled back. The windows server 2008 r2 domain or forest functional level can be lowered to windows server 2008 and no lower if and only if none of the active directory features that require a windows server 2008 r2 functional level has been activated.

Windows server 2008 domain and forest functional levels by scott lowe in the enterprise cloud in microsoft on march 10 2008 7 02 am pst with each new release of windows server come new sets of.