Child Domain Migration
Ok stay with me on this one, as i may not explain it 100% the first time.
Currently i have a forest with an empty root and 2 child domains under it. These business units have recently been sold off, and the IT team is tasked with migrating each domain to a stand alone domain. Now i know i can do this using admt and exmerge and all those great tools, but someone please tell me why i can not just create an additional domain controller at the new location, link it back to the primary domain controller and move the FSMO roles for that domain to this newly created dc. Then create an additional exchange 2k3 server (reusing hardware) and move the mailboxes to this new exchange server. After everything is moved, dropped the MPLS link and remove the original domain controller from this "old child domain"
Then repeat the process for the second child domain
At this point i should be able to just shut off the old forest that was housing both childs.
I guess my question is, am i thinking through this correctly? I mean i know and have performed numerous cross forest migrations when i had to combine, but never when i had to split business units off.
Can anyone give any suggestions here? I currently have my plan outlined to utilise admt and migrate everything, but with 10 remote locations and the lack of user assistance (for admt to change the workstation and profiles) i am trying to think of an easier way, and i think this may be it.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Currently i have a forest with an empty root and 2 child domains under it. These business units have recently been sold off, and the IT team is tasked with migrating each domain to a stand alone domain. Now i know i can do this using admt and exmerge and all those great tools, but someone please tell me why i can not just create an additional domain controller at the new location, link it back to the primary domain controller and move the FSMO roles for that domain to this newly created dc. Then create an additional exchange 2k3 server (reusing hardware) and move the mailboxes to this new exchange server. After everything is moved, dropped the MPLS link and remove the original domain controller from this "old child domain"
Then repeat the process for the second child domain
At this point i should be able to just shut off the old forest that was housing both childs.
I guess my question is, am i thinking through this correctly? I mean i know and have performed numerous cross forest migrations when i had to combine, but never when i had to split business units off.
Can anyone give any suggestions here? I currently have my plan outlined to utilise admt and migrate everything, but with 10 remote locations and the lack of user assistance (for admt to change the workstation and profiles) i am trying to think of an easier way, and i think this may be it.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
MSE-JNegus
To do this you would have to keep the current configuration of an empty forest root. So you would need at least one DC for the forest root and another for the child domain. You could do a metadata cleanup and remove the other child domain. I am not sure that is what you have in mind.
ASKER
couldnt the empty forest and child sit on the same Dc and then i ust do a metadata cleanup for the other child domain?
i mean that would still be easier then doing 2 cross forest migrations and having to deal with the password migration, the machine accounts, the uer account and all the security translations. just my thoughts please correct me if i am wrong.
i mean that would still be easier then doing 2 cross forest migrations and having to deal with the password migration, the machine accounts, the uer account and all the security translations. just my thoughts please correct me if i am wrong.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
Create a free account to see this answer
Signing up is free and takes 30 seconds. No credit card required.
Never done this but the Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Domain Rename Tools can do this.
See the following for more information:
http://www.petri.co.il/windows_2003_domain_rename.htm
and this
http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Domain-Rename.html
See the following for more information:
http://www.petri.co.il/windows_2003_domain_rename.htm
and this
http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Domain-Rename.html