HOW TO: Create a Trust Between a Windows 2000 Domain and a Windows NT 4.0 Domain

This article describes how to create a trust between a Windows 2000 domain and a Windows NT 4.0 domain. The creation of a trust between a Windows 2000 domain and a Windows NT 4.0 domain is similar to establishing a trust between two Windows NT 4.0 domains. When you establish a trust relationship between two domains, users in one domain can obtain access to resources that are located in another trusted domain. In this article, the Windows 2000 NetBIOS domain name is "W2KDOMAIN," and the Windows NT 4.0 NetBIOS domain name is "NTDOMAIN". Note that NETBIOS name resolution must be used to enable trust between the two domains.

Create a Two-Way Trust

To create a two-way trust between a Windows 2000 domain and the Windows NT 4.0 domain:

1. On the Windows 2000 domain controller (DC), click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts. Right-click the appropriate domain name, click Properties, and then click the Trusts tab.
2. Under Domains that trust this domain, click Add.
3. In Trusting Domain, type NTDOMAIN, and then type a password. Note that the password must meet the minimum password requirements for the trusting domain.
4. On the Windows NT 4.0 primary DC (PDC), start User Manager For Domains. Open Policies, and then open Trust Relationships. Under Trusting Domain, click Add.
5. In Trusting Domain, type W2KDOMAIN, and then type the appropriate password.
6. On the Windows 2000-based computer, under Domains trusted by this domain on the Trust tab, click Add, type NTDOMAIN and the appropriate password. You should receive an informational message that states "The trusted domain has been added and the trust has been verified."
7. On the Windows NT 4.0 PDC, add the W2KDOMAIN domain as a trusted domain, and type the appropriate password. You should receive an informational message that states "Trust Relationship with W2KDOMAIN successfully established." The two-way trust has been established.

For additional information about how to write an LMHOSTS file for domain validation, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: