Single Forest Merge

[MN]

Ok I need a bit of advice about how to go about a Single Forest merge.

abc.com is a Forest Root and the only Domain Tree in domain 1.
def.com is a Forest Root and the only Domain Tree in domain 2.

I wish to make abc.com the only Forest Root and have def.com as a
Domain Tree in abc.com.

Make sense? Hope so..

Fortunetly there is only 1 domain controller and 1 member server in
def.com.

I also want to keep the naming conventions so the def.com that abc.com
once knew as an external trusted Forest will now be a trusted Domain
Tree. Here's how I was thinking of doing it.

1. Destroy the def.com zone in DNS in abc.com Forest.
2. Remove the member server from the def.com domain.
3. Remove Active Directory from the only domain controller in def.com.
4. Run dcpromo on the member server to create a new Domain Tree in the
Existing Forest abc.com using the same naming convention.
5. Consider completely rebuilding the original def.com domain
controller before introducing it to the new def.com domain as a DC.
6. Join all client machines (25) to the new def.com domain.

Theres probably a few things I'm overlooking but I would love some
feedback/suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Murray

 

[Brian Desmond [MVP]]

Murray-

You could save the rebuilding stuff by using the ADMT tool to migrate the
principals from your def.com domain to abc.com. Seperate domains given
twenty five machines sounds like a bad plan unless you have some sort of
political requirement. Two OUs would be much more appropriate in an
operation of this scale.

--
--
Brian Desmond
Windows Server MVP
(e-mail address removed)12.il.us

Http://www.briandesmond.com

 

[MN]

Brian,

Thanks for your reply.
The two domains represent two different companies that have two
seperate business functions and thus have non-contiguous namespaces.
Both are members of the same corporate parent.

Its expected that there will be many child domains from the Forest
Root so making them a seperate domain I suppose gives them a more
isolated working environment. So yeah, bottom line, I guess it's
political. I'll look into ADMT a bit more and work through a few
options in the lab. Thanks again for your suggestions.