5. Migrating Computer Accounts
Another
important set of objects that must be migrated is also one of the
trickier ones. Computer objects must not only be migrated in AD, but
they must also be updated at the workstations themselves so that users
will be able to log on effectively from their consoles. ADMT seamlessly
installs agents on all migrated computer accounts and reboots them,
forcing them into their new domain structures. Follow these steps to
migrate computer accounts:
1. | Open the ADMT MMC snap-in (Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools, Active Directory Migration Tool).
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2. | Right-click Active Directory Migration Tool, and choose Computer Migration Wizard.
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3. | Click Next at the welcome screen.
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4. | Just
as in the previous wizards, the option for testing the migration is
given at this point. It is highly recommended that you test the process
before migrating computer accounts. In this case, because a full
migration will take place, choose Migrate Now. Click Next to continue.
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5. | Type the names of the source and destination domains in the drop-down boxes on the next screen, and click Next to continue.
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6. | On
the following screen, select the computer accounts that will be
migrated by clicking the Add button and choosing the appropriate
accounts. Click Next to continue.
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7. | Select the OU to which the computer accounts will be migrated, and click Next to continue.
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8. | The
next screen allows for the option to specify which settings on the
local clients will be migrated. Click the Help button for a detailed
description of each item. In this example, select all items, and then
click Next to continue.
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9. | The
subsequent screen prompts to choose whether existing security will be
replaced, removed, or added to. In this example, replace the security.
Click Next to continue.
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10. | A prompt then informs you that the user rights translation will be performed in Add mode only. Click OK to continue.
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11. | The
next screen is important. It allows an administrator to specify how
many minutes a computer will wait before restarting itself. In
addition, you can define the naming convention for the computers. After
choosing options, click Next to continue.
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12. | Just
as in the previous wizards, exclusions can be set for specific
attributes in the following wizard screen. Select any exclusions
needed, and click Next to continue.
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13. | Naming
conflicts are addressed in the subsequent screen. If any specific
naming conventions or conflict resolution settings are required, enter
them here. Click Next to continue.
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14. | The
Completion screen lists a summary of the changes that will be made.
Review the list and click Finish when you are ready. All clients that
will be upgraded are subsequently rebooted.
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15. | When
the migration process is complete, you can view the Migration log by
clicking the View Log button. After verifying all settings, click Close.
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16. | The
client agents are subsequently distributed to all clients that have
been migrated. Each agent is installed automatically and counts down
until the designated time limit set during the configuration of the
Computer Migration Wizard. At that point, a dialog box opens on each
workstation.
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17. | Click Close on the ADMT MMC snap-in to end the wizard.
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6. Migrating Other Domain Functionality
In
addition to the Group, User, and Computer Migration Wizards, several
other wizards can be used to migrate specific domain-critical
components. These wizards operate using the same principles as those
described in the preceding sections, and are as straightforward in
their operation. The following is a list of the additional wizards
included in ADMT:
Security Translation Wizard
Reporting Wizard
Service Account Migration Wizard
Exchange Directory Migration Wizard
Retry Task Wizard
Trust Migration Wizard
Group Mapping and Merging Wizard
Virtually
all necessary functionality that needs replacing when migrating from
one domain to another can be transferred by using ADMT. It has proven
to be a valuable tool that gives administrators an additional option to
consider when migrating and restructuring Active Directory environments.