How to Resolve Identity Management for UNIX Upgrade Blocks on Windows Server

Introduction

Upgrading Windows Server from 2008 R2 to 2012 R2 or 2012 R2 to 2019 often encounters a roadblock due to the presence of Identity Management for UNIX (IDMU). This guide provides step-by-step instructions to fix the issue, including removing IDMU components and editing the compliance.ini file to bypass upgrade checks.

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Step 1: Remove Identity Management for UNIX Components

The first step is to disable and remove IDMU features using PowerShell.

Instructions:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

2. Execute the appropriate command based on what needs to be removed:

   • Remove all Identity Management for UNIX components:

     Dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:adminui
     

   • Remove only Server for NIS:

     Dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:nis
     

   • Remove only Password Synchronization:

     Dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:psync
     

3. Restart the server to apply the changes.
   Use the /quiet parameter to restart automatically:

   Dism.exe /online /disable-feature /featurename:adminui /quiet
   

   Step 2: Edit compliance.ini to Bypass Compatibility Checks

   If the upgrade still fails after removing Identity Management for UNIX (IDMU), you may need to bypass the upgrade compliance check.

Instructions:

1. Copy the Windows Server setup ISO/DVD contents to a writable location, such as your local drive.
2. Navigate to the following file within the copied setup content:

     sources\compliance.ini
   

3. Open the file using a text editor (e.g., Notepad).
4. Locate the line containing:

     IDMUUpgradeComplianceCheck
   

5. Comment out the line by adding a # at the beginning or delete the line entirely:

   # IDMUUpgradeComplianceCheck
   

6. Save the file and retry the upgrade process.