Chapter 6: Deploying the Novell to Windows Server 2003 Migration Solution

  • Article
On This Page

Introduction and Goals Introduction and Goals
Deployment Preparations Deployment Preparations
Deploying Deploying

Introduction and Goals

During this final phase of your Novell to Windows Server 2003 migration, the goal is to deploy the solution to all of the remaining file data and users that were not included in the pilot. The team will be following the plan that was developed during the Planning Phase and tested during the prototype and pilot. This plan may have been updated as the project progressed.

In certain cases, the final phase of the project will be spread over a period of time, where the migration of a single server as part of the pilot rolls into the migration of a second server, and then a third, and so on until the entire set of data is migrated into the production environment. In other cases, a pilot migration of data will be followed by a one-time full deployment and the removal of the Client32 from user desktops over a long weekend. Whichever method you choose, the process is effectively the same. The migration method, either with tools or manually, involves moving the file data from the Novell NetWare volumes to Windows shares and remapping clients to point to the new data location.

Major Tasks and Deliverables

Tasks in the Deploying Phase include:

  • Completing deployment preparations

  • Deploying the solution in the production environment

  • Stabilizing the deployment

  • Transferring ownership of the Windows Server 2003 infrastructure to operations

Deploying Phase Major Milestone: Deployment Complete

An important final task is obtaining final customer approval of the project. After deployment is complete and ownership and responsibility have been transferred to operations and support, obtaining customer sign-off signifies the achievement of the fifth and final major project milestone, Deployment Complete.

After the deployment, the team conducts a project review and a customer satisfaction survey. The team may continue with stabilizing the deployment during this period as there may be new issues that could not be identified during the prototype testing.

Deployment Preparations

In preparation for deployment, the results of the Pilot testing should be carefully scrutinized to determine if any changes need to be made to the overall deployment strategy. In addition, final configuration changes to the production Active Directory infrastructure should be made at this time.

Deploying

Manual Migration

The full deployment of the Active Directory solution follows the same general procedure as the one used during the pilot. If the prototype and pilot phases were successful, the only difference between the pilot and the production migration is that you will not have to build the new infrastructure as it was established during the pilot.

The following high-level steps are involved with manually migrating a NetWare environment to Windows Server 2003:

  • Manually copy the file data from Novell file volumes to Windows Server 2003 file shares. A useful tool to assist with the data migration is the Robocopy utility available from Microsoft.

  • Recreate Printers in Active Directory based on the Novell Print Queues.

  • After the data has been copied, manually assign security rights using the GUI or with the assistance of a tool such as the XCACLS utility.

  • Recreate login script functionality from NetWare to Active Directory login scripts.

  • Remove the Novell NetWare Client32 application from the desktops, either manually or phased over time during desktop refreshes.

Automated Migration by Using Services for NetWare

Because the MSDSS tool will provide for ongoing synchronization between Active Directory and NetWare, the only remaining step when utilizing the Services for NetWare 5.03 tools for the deployment phase is to migrate the remaining file data. You can use the same File Migration Utility process that was performed in the Pilot phase to migrate the final volumes from NetWare to Windows. You may decide to migrate all remaining volumes at once, or to phase the migration over time.

Following the removal of the last of the Novell File Volumes, you can break down the MSDSS synchronization by uninstalling the service from the server that it is running on. In addition, the NetWare Client32 application should be removed from the client computers and their file and data mappings should be remapped using Windows login scripts that were developed and tested during the lab testing phase.

Automated Migration by Using Quest

Just as with the manual method and the Services for NetWare 5.03 tools approach, using the Quest NDS Migrator tools for the deployment phase involves finishing the migration of the remaining set of file data. The Quest tool maintains directory synchronization for the duration of the project, so that group membership and new user account creations in NDS are reflected in Active Directory.

Just as you did during the Pilot phase, the file migration process can begin for the remainder of the data in the server topology. Be sure to allow enough time for the migration process to take place, either phased over a period of time or over a long weekend. Once again, the high-level migration steps are as follows:

  1. Establish volume mappings

  2. Set the Files Migration Options

  3. Migrate files

  4. Check logs for file migration errors

  5. Resolve migration errors

After all file data has been migrated, the synchronization mechanism can be shut down from the Quest console. In addition, just as with the other approaches, client login scripts must be put into place to remap the users to the new data locations. The NetWare client should also be removed, either manually, through scripted methods, or through a phased approach.