Changing Domain Name

[Guest]

Hi, I am in the process of changing our domain name. What I have done so far is bring up a temporary server with the new domain name, ran all the updates, setup dns, dhcp, and active directory. Right now I am installaing Exchange Server 2000 and am going to run all the service packs and upgrades also. I have my firewall setup to pass smtp, http, ftp and others with a static route to the temporary server. I asked my ISP to create an MX record for the new Exchange Server and then I am going to create all the new accounts for the existing users. When this is done I am going to use exmerge to extract each users mailbox and then copy them over to the temporary server and use exmerge to populate the new email addresses with the old information. Once all that is done I plan on uninstalling exchange on the old server, uninstall active directory, rename the old domain to the new domain and bring it online. Once it is stable and all the errors are cleared I plan on installing Exchange Server on the old server and then moving all the mailboxes to the original server. The last of the process I plan on bringing down the temporary server, removing exchange, active directory, etc... I am just wondering if there is an easier way to do this process or does it have to be a process like this...

 

[Scott Harding - MS MVP]

That sounds like your doing it the only way you can. You cannot rename a
Windows 2000 domain so you either have to do what your doing, creating a
parallel domain and migrating to it, or revert back to NT4 and rename there
and then reupgrade to Win2k AD or upgrade your domain to Win2k3 and then
rename there(but this will cost you $$ for the software). Have you looked at
the ADMT(Active Direcotry Migration Tool) ? This can save you a lot of work
so you won't have to recreate the usernames or the computer accounts.
Exmerge is really the only way your going to get the email and that works
great. I have used ADMT serveral times for this situation and it typically
can save a lot of time. Of course your still going to have to touch all the
client machines to get them over and reconfigured for the new domain but at
least you won't have to type in everyone's usernames etc......other than
that I think your plan is sound and should work and will always give you the
ability to abort and go back to your old domain name fairly easily....at
least during the beginning....you will get to a point where it will be very
difficult to return to the old domain but by then you should know that
things are working or not....good luck!!
--
Scott Harding
MCSE, MCSA, A+, Network+
Microsoft MVP - Windows NT Server

Hi, I am in the process of changing our domain name. What I have done so

far is bring up a temporary server with the new domain name, ran all the
updates, setup dns, dhcp, and active directory. Right now I am installaing
Exchange Server 2000 and am going to run all the service packs and upgrades
also. I have my firewall setup to pass smtp, http, ftp and others with a
static route to the temporary server. I asked my ISP to create an MX record
for the new Exchange Server and then I am going to create all the new
accounts for the existing users. When this is done I am going to use
exmerge to extract each users mailbox and then copy them over to the
temporary server and use exmerge to populate the new email addresses with
the old information. Once all that is done I plan on uninstalling exchange
on the old server, uninstall active directory, rename the old domain to the
new domain and bring it online. Once it is stable and all the errors are
cleared I plan on installing Exchange Server on the old server and then
moving all the mailboxes to the original server. The last of the process I
plan on bringing down the temporary server, removing exchange, active
directory, etc... I am just wondering if there is an easier way to do this
process or does it have to be a process like this...

 

[Scott Harding - MS MVP]

No they should be on the same subnet. What DNS problems are you noticing?
This should be fine.

--
Scott Harding
MCSE, MCSA, A+, Network+
Microsoft MVP - Windows NT Server

One thing I have noticed is a problem with DNS being on the same network

while all this is going on. Do I have to setup two network addresses, i.e.
192.168.1.0 and 192.168.2.0 and then use the Active directory migration
tool? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

I figured out how to correct the DNS error. I just had to change DNS Zone type to Active Directory-integrated and that cleared the error.