DNS Name change

[Ram]

Hi List,

Two Companies are merging, let us say abc.com and XYZ.com

I need to go through a name change for abc.com This is what I have for
company abc

3 windows 2000 DC, 1 Windows 2000 DC running Exchange 2000, a Citrix
Farm consisting of 3 servers.

E-mail address is changing, Exchange sites are changing, server names
are changing, Active Directory name is changing. Our requirement is to
create a site for abc on XYZ , create a OU for abc and delegate full
control for the ou to administrator at abc.

We need to migrate 2000 servers to 2003 ( windows and Exchange ) and
migrate the user accounts at abc to be hosted at the new ou created
under XYZ , mailboxes shares, group policies, printers etc.

Where can I find information on tools and deployment aids to
accomplish this?

 

[Dave Shaw [MVP]]

As you probably know by now, you will have to upgrade the Windows 2000
machines to Winddows Server 2003 and get them to Domain Functional Level
2003 in order to rename them. If you want to rename any of the domains, you
will have to get to Forest Functional Level 2003 (disregard this point if
there are Exchange servers in the forest). You won't be able to rename your
Exchange servers easily (or at all, depending upon a number of factors).

However, the Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit is available (and rocks!).
Here's a link to the online content:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/reskit/deploykit.mspx

There are tons of templates and aids in there - along with plenty of tools
to help you along. Just figure on purchasing the full-blown, printed kit.
It's worth every penny.

-ds

 

[Enkidu]

Hi List,

Two Companies are merging, let us say abc.com and XYZ.com

I need to go through a name change for abc.com This is what I have for
company abc

3 windows 2000 DC, 1 Windows 2000 DC running Exchange 2000, a Citrix
Farm consisting of 3 servers.

E-mail address is changing, Exchange sites are changing, server names
are changing, Active Directory name is changing. Our requirement is to
create a site for abc on XYZ , create a OU for abc and delegate full
control for the ou to administrator at abc.

We need to migrate 2000 servers to 2003 ( windows and Exchange ) and
migrate the user accounts at abc to be hosted at the new ou created
under XYZ , mailboxes shares, group policies, printers etc.

Where can I find information on tools and deployment aids to
accomplish this?

On the Microsoft site? <grin> On other website found through Google?
<grin> Take a course? <grin> Get a good book? <grin>

On a more practical note, it seems like you are doing a migration
rather than a merger? If so, you could finalise your AD design, then
install it (empty) as you want it to finally be, then merge the two AD
forests. This is more or less a manual process. I'd leave the
exisiting abc.com setup alone and migrate the firstly the users, then
the email to the new tree, using the AD tools, such as ADMT and
ADSIedit, depending on how you want to do it. You'd probably have to
export the existing mailboxes to PST files to move emails. There are
batch ways to do this. GPOs would probably be easiest to rebuild, if
you don't have too many of them.

I've not done a merge like this but I've done an upgrade to AD, and I
found that I got most of my info from books (mainly the MS Self-Teach
ones), from the Web (mostly the MS site) and from fora like this.
Research pays off and so does practical knowledge of AD.

Thing is, the question is hard to answer without a lot more detail. It
would depend on what your target AD design is, what you have already,
and how much upheaval your users can take. It looks like a several
month project to me. I'd plan it out step by step with backouts or
recovery options with lots of backups.... but that's "Standard
Operating procedure" isn't it!

Cheers,

Cliff