building AD test network

[Jim C]

I need to practice our Exchange 5.5 to 2K upgrade.

On NT4, it was always a pretty easy matter to create a
clone of my production NT domain for a test network by
building a BDC on the production network, and after
allowing the SAM to replicate, unplug the BDC, move it to
the test network, and promote it to PDC.

I am trying to determine if this is a recommended practice
in Active Directory. It seems a bit messier in that case,
especially with having to use ASDIedit to tear the DC out
of the production domain after I am done moving it. Also,
the role management might be a bit messy.

How do folks do this these days?
jc

 

[Tim Hines [MSFT]]

You can do something similar to that. You can create a DC and pull it from
the domain after you have verified that it has replicated all the objects
from your domain. Pull it off the network, seize all FSMO roles on it and
perform a metadata cleanup of the DC in the domain that it was once a member
of. You may need to setup a new DNS server in the test lab if the DC did
not run DNS. You will also need to configure the DC to point to a DNS
server in the test lab.


--
Tim Hines, MCSE, MCSA
Windows 2000 Directory Services

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