Restructuring Windows NT 4.0 MUDs into Windows Server 2003 Domains

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If your organization is currently operating in a Windows NT 4.0 environment, you must plan to restructure all MUDs that you did not select for in-place upgrade into your new Active Directory domains. Keep the following points in mind when you consolidate a MUD into an Active Directory domain:

• You can configure OUs to preserve the organization and administrative structure of the Windows NT 4.0 source domain. For more information about configuring OUs, see "Designing Organizational Units for Delegation of Administration" later in this chapter.

• The migration process potentially impacts users involved in the migration.

• If you have a MUD that spans geographic locations, migrate all the users within that MUD to a single Active Directory domain. If you need to relocate some of those users to a different domain, you can do so by means of an intraforest migration after the initial migration process is complete.

For more information about restructuring Windows NT 4.0 account and resource domains to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, see "Restructuring Windows NT 4.0 Domains to an Active Directory Forest" in this book.

Figure 2.24 shows how the Contoso Corporation chose to restructure Windows NT 4.0 resource domains into OU structures within the new Active Directory regional domains in the same geographical location.

Figure 2.24   Contoso Corporation Restructuring of Windows NT 4.0 MUDs into Active Directory Regional Domains