Outline of Migration Steps

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Updated: September 15, 2010

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

The next two sections provide detail on the steps for implementing MSDSS in a smaller (LAN-only) or larger (WAN) network. You need to adapt the guidelines to suit your environment and goals.

Direct Migration Steps

If your organization is small to medium-sized with an uncomplicated, LAN-based network, you are a likely candidate for a quick, direct migration.

After you complete all the preparations described in the “NetWare Migration Preparation Details” section of this document, perform these steps (adjusted, if necessary, to your situation):

  1. Log on to the Active Directory running in Windows Server 2008 R2, which is set up at a Windows Server 2003 functional level.

  2. Create an additional Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) domain controller.

  3. Log on to the Windows Server 2003 R2 domain controller as a member of the Domain Admins group. Start MSDSS.

  4. Log on to the NDS tree or Bindery server with administrative credentials.

  5. Depending on your version of NetWare, follow the step-by-step instructions on how to migrate in the “Directly Migrating NetWare 3.x Accounts and Groups” or the “Directly Migrating NetWare 4.x, 5.x, or 6.x NDS” section of this document.

Note

For additional migration information, start MSDSS, and from the MSDSS console open Help and navigate to the Help topics: To perform a one-time migration and To migrate files.

  1. After you have migrated the user accounts, you can then migrate the file system (migrating the users before the files makes it possible for you to migrate file-system permissions). Follow the step-by-step instructions in the “Migrating NetWare 3.x Files to Active Directory” or the “Migrating NetWare 4.x, 5.x, or 6.x Files to Active Directory” sections of this document.

  2. Manually migrate (or use third-party utilities to migrate) object security permissions and computer accounts, printer objects, application objects, and other objects that MSDSS does not migrate from Bindery or NDS to Active Directory. (MSDSS migrates NetWare user accounts, groups, and distribution lists for Bindery and NDS, and, for NDS only, MSDSS also migrates NDS OUs and organizations.)

  3. After successfully migrating directory and file information from NetWare, remove the computer running Windows Server 2003 R2 as the domain controller, and change the functional level of the computer running Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2008 R2.

  4. Replace software that is dependent on Novell services with equivalent software compatible with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Active Directory. Only fully tested, easy-to-migrate applications should be included in a direct migration. It is highly recommended that you confirm application functionality in a Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory test lab before you begin the direct migration. If you require greater flexibility, a staged or phased migration is recommended.

  5. On each Windows computer in the NetWare network, uninstall Novell NetWare Client for Windows. (In a moment, you will configure the computers to join the Windows Server 2008 R2 domain.)

  6. Optionally, upgrade NetWare client workstations to the Windows 7 operating system.

  7. Configure all client computers (both Windows and non-Windows), to join the Windows Server 2008 R2 domain. Be sure that the users know how to enter their password the first time that they log on. (For possible password options, see the MSDSS Password Management section earlier in this document for more information regarding password choices during migration.)

  8. Decommission your NetWare server(s).

Staged (Phased) Migration Steps

If your organization has multiple locations with WAN links, you are likely to choose to synchronize the mixed Novell/Windows Server 2008 R2 network temporarily while you perform a staged (phased) migration over time. If you plan a staged migration, one-way synchronization is often the appropriate choice.

Beginning a Staged Migration

After you complete all the preparations described in the “NetWare Migration Preparation Details” section of this document, perform these steps (adjusted, if necessary, to your situation):

  1. Log on to the Active Directory running in Windows Server 2008 R2, which is set up at a Windows Server 2003 functional level.

  2. Create an additional Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) domain controller.

  3. Log on to the Windows Server 2003 R2 domain controller as a member of the Domain Admins group. Start MSDSS.

  4. Log on to the NDS tree or Bindery server with administrative credentials.

Note

For additional migration information, start MSDSS, and from the MSDSS console open Help and navigate to the Help topics: To perform a one-way synchronization and To perform a two-way synchronization. (The steps for both synchronizations are similar in nature to those described in the “Direct Migration Steps" section of this document. You can use those screen shots as a guide, substituting the following steps on the appropriate screens).

  1. Start MSDSS and let the prompts guide you through the following tasks:

    1. In the MSDSS console tree, right-click MSDSS.

    2. On the shortcut menu, click New Session.

    3. The Welcome to the New Session Wizard welcome screen appears.

    4. Click Next to continue.

    5. Click Novell Bindery or Novell Directory Services (NDS) for one-way synchronization. – OR – click Novell Directory Services (NDS) for two-way synchronization.

    6. Click One-way synchronization (from Active Directory to NDS or Bindery). – OR – click Two-way synchronization (from Active Directory to NDS and back).

    7. In the Active Directory container box, specify the container into which you want to copy items.

    8. Click Next to accept the default domain controller in which to store the session database.

    9. In the NDS Container or Bindery Container box, specify the container from which to copy items.

    10. Under Novell administrative account, enter an appropriate user name and password.

    11. On the Initial Reverse Synchronization page, do the following:

      1. Click Perform an initial reverse synchronization.

      2. Under Password Options, select the appropriate check box (such as Set passwords to the user name).

    12. On the Object Mapping Scheme page, click Default (to accept the default mapping for each source and target directory pair). – OR – for NDS only, click Custom, and then click Object Mapping Table (to specify objects for which you want to establish a one-to-one relationship, regardless of the object location in either directory tree). Keep in mind that MSDSS does not support custom object mapping for Bindery.

    13. On the Object Mapping Scheme page, if you want to configure a filter for this synchronization session, click Filters.

    14. On the Session Name page, accept the default session name or specify a new name.

    15. Click Finish.

  2. If you chose one-way synchronization, you should now perform all user, group, and OU object management from Active Directory. If you chose two-way synchronization, you can now manage user, group, and OU objects from either Active Directory or NDS.

Completing a Staged Migration

When you are ready to finish the migration from NetWare to Active Directory, perform the following steps in the time frame that is convenient for you:

  1. After successfully migrating all directory and file information from NetWare, remove the computer running Windows Server 2003 R2 as the domain controller, and change the functional level of the computer running Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2008 R2.

  2. Install and configure File and Print Services for NetWare (makes it possible for NetWare client workstations to access files and printers on servers running Windows Server 2008 R2) and Client Services for NetWare on Windows-based client workstations (makes it possible for Windows-based client workstations to log on to NetWare servers and access their resources).

  3. Replace Novell-dependent software with equivalent Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory–compatible software. Only fully tested applications should be included in the migration. It is highly recommended that you confirm application functionality in a test lab before you begin the migration. Implement large conversions (such as GroupWise to Exchange) as separate projects.

  4. To migrate a pilot group of users and their files, adapt the migration steps in the appropriate direct migration section of this document. Get the pilot group’s feedback and, if necessary, update your process for this migration step according to feedback. Then set a schedule to migrate additional groups of users according to the priorities that you have established.

  5. Migrate the rest of the users as appropriate (for example, when you migrate the set of applications a group of users require, it is time to migrate the users also).

  6. Decommission the NetWare servers.