Windows Server - Deseparately need your advice!

Hi all,

We are going to merge with another company.
we have one empty root domain and one child domain and
all servers and users are in this domain.  Windows 2003
SP2 domain cntrollers and we have exchange 2003 servers.

Another company: one domain with windows 2003 Sp2 domain controllers and
they have exchange 2007 servers.


My proposal is that introduce one seperate domain tree and migrate their
users there.

What about their exchange servers and has to rebuild since the domain is
changed?

What is the most effective way and less time consuming to do?  Also, what
else should I consider?

Thank you!

I think you have a good idea.  Build out a new forest/domain model that will
fit both enterprises.  Once you have this structure you should then be able
to use Active Directory Migration Toolkit (ADMT v3.1), a free tool from
Microsoft to migrate your users, machines, files and folders, etc...  This
also will take into account Exchange, you will probably use exmerge to
export the users mailboxes and import them into your new storage group.


You will have to establish a trust first and then migrate the users across.

Establish DNS communications between the two forests.
http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/expert/KnowledgebaseAnswer/0,289625,sid1_gci1101656,00.html

Create a trust between the two forests
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc780479.aspx

Download the ADMT Tool
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6F86937B-533A-466D-A8E8-AFF85AD3D212&displaylang=en

ADMT Migration Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d99ef770-3bbb-4b9e-a8bc-01e9f7ef7342&DisplayLang=en

Perform the Migration
http://www.petri.co.il/active_directory_migration_tool_usage_w2k_windows_2003.htm

Webcast  (The PPT is the only working piece for help now)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=325393

--
Paul Bergson
MVP - Directory Services
MCITP - Enterprise Administrator
MCTS, MCT, MCSE, MCSA, MCP, Security +, BS CSci
2008, Vista, 2003, 2000 (Early Achiever), NT4
Microsoft's Thrive IT Pro of the Month - June 2009

http://www.pbbergs.com

Please no e-mails, any questions should be posted in the NewGroups.  This
posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.

Paul,

GReat info and help.  I really appreciate it.

If I go to my empty root domain and go to properties and create new trust
and my new trust type: Realm trust and Trust with a windows domain.  I do not
have forest trust type.  I do have windows 2003 R2 domain controllers and
windows 2003 functional level.  this forest domain was originally built with
windows2000 domain controlllers and then migrated to windows 2003 domain
controllers.  How do I make forest trust type show up?

If we decide to go for the new domain for both companies and forest name
like newcompany.local.  what kinds of steps could we take?  servers and
workstations need to join the new domain again and redo exchange servers,
right?

Thank you.

Hello ed,

Personal i would think about to come away from the empty root domain. This
is more or less old practise which also result in additional DCs, at least
2, which must be backed up and maintained.

So in your case with the merge of another company i would create a new forest/domain
and migrate both existing ones into the new created one, even this is more
work in the migration start. But at the end you need less server hardware/licenses
and also maintenance goes down.

For the migration part use ADMT as already described from Paul.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mweber/archive/2010/03/25/migrating-active-directory-to-a-new-forest.aspx

The easiest way for Exchange 2007 migration will be to expoprt the existing
mailboxes into .pst files and add them after building the new exchange server.
http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/04/13/437745.aspx

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
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Great help and info.

thank you for your insights.
just wonder if we merge with another compnay in the future, we need to
create the new forest again?

Also, if we have one empty root, we can introduce another domain tree for
the new company in the same forest.  that means that we keep one forest. in
the future, we have another merge, then introduce another domain tree.

Can you help me out?  this is the first merge project I deal with.  What do
people usually do with active directory when they merge?

thank you very much for your support and time.

You wouldnt need to create a new forest if you were to merge with another
company.  Putting any political issues aside the best course of action in
most cases is to migrate the users, computers, mailboxes etc to your existing
forest using the standard migration tools.  This could either be into your
existing domain or and new domain in your forest depending on the
requirements.

You can still create new trees in a forest that doesnt have an empty root.

I do not think there is a 'usual' approach to these kinds of projects as
there can be so many factors involved in any merger.  From my experience we
have done similiar to the above whereby we have acquired about 15 companies
and migrated each ones infrastructure into our corporate model which is a
single domain running Exchange.  Each project is different but the end goal
is always the same.

Best regards
Joe Dunn
MBCS, MCTS, MCSE, CCNA

Are you at 2003 Domain Functional Level and Forest Functional Level?

I would suggest you try and built out your forest into a single domain.  Use
ADMT to bring across users, groups, machines, etc...

If you have the choice I would leave one of my forests up as the main and
move another thereby preventing you from having to migrate all users.  I
would chose the domain with the Exchange forest and use exmerge to bring
across any users not part of this forest.

--
Paul Bergson
MVP - Directory Services
MCITP - Enterprise Administrator
MCTS, MCT, MCSE, MCSA, MCP, Security +, BS CSci
2008, Vista, 2003, 2000 (Early Achiever), NT4
Microsoft's Thrive IT Pro of the Month - June 2009

http://www.pbbergs.com

Please no e-mails, any questions should be posted in the NewGroups.  This
posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.