Hi all

We are about to change our Domain server which also supplies the DNS
for the domain. We are a small business so the one server is all we
shall have.

The old server is "Server1" all workstaions have drives mapped to the
different shares on the server. We plan to bring the new server online.
Replicate the AD then copy the shared directory structure and files,
take the old server off line.

Changing the name of the new server to the old server name I have been
told is a bad thing to do, upsets AD...?

My question is can I handle this problem with DNS. make a alias in DNS
so that the new server is called "Server2" yet calls to "Server1" will
get answered by server2.

If this is not the correct way please point me in the correct direction.

Thanks in advance.

--
DaveG
------------
If things don't change...
They will stay the same.

In news:UbOdnYf7-Ju6dWbZnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@telenor.com,
DaveG <daveginorge@hotmail.com.nospam> typed:
> Hi all
>
> We are about to change our Domain server which also supplies the DNS
> for the domain. We are a small business so the one server is all we
> shall have.
>
> The old server is "Server1" all workstaions have drives mapped to the
> different shares on the server. We plan to bring the new server
> online. Replicate the AD then copy the shared directory structure and
> files, take the old server off line.
>
> Changing the name of the new server to the old server name I have been
> told is a bad thing to do, upsets AD...?
>
> My question is can I handle this problem with DNS. make a alias in DNS
> so that the new server is called "Server2" yet calls to "Server1" will
> get answered by server2.
>
> If this is not the correct way please point me in the correct
> direction.
>
> Thanks in advance.

I'm not entirely sure of the answer, but I have to ask why you need the
server to have the same name in the first place? Don't you use login scripts
for your mapped drives? If so, just change the login script so it remaps
everything to server2. You might also have it set up to always delete all
mapped drives and then remap them to the correct location, adding
/persistent:no at the end of the net use command so they won't be
remembered.

Sorry if this is OT, but it might save you some work, if I'm on the right
track.

DaveG wrote:
> Hi all
>
> We are about to change our Domain server which also supplies the DNS
> for the domain. We are a small business so the one server is all we
> shall have.
>
> The old server is "Server1" all workstaions have drives mapped to the
> different shares on the server. We plan to bring the new server
> online. Replicate the AD then copy the shared directory structure and
> files, take the old server off line.

Don't just take the old server offline, run Dcpromo to demote it from the
domain. If it is to be kept offline, you should also remove it from the
domain, to a workgroup or at least rename it before trying to give the new
server its name.

>
> Changing the name of the new server to the old server name I have been
> told is a bad thing to do, upsets AD...?

Not really, if it is Win2k3. Win2k3 DCs can have the NetBIOS host name
changed as long as it does not host a Certificate Server. It is done just
like you would rename any other Win2k and later NT OS, in the System Control
Panel. Win2k DCs cannot be renamed.

>
> My question is can I handle this problem with DNS. make a alias in DNS
> so that the new server is called "Server2" yet calls to "Server1" will
> get answered by server2.
>
> If this is not the correct way please point me in the correct
> direction.

You can add an alias, which is fine for mapped drives but it does not work
for Network Browsing. For that I'd just rename it.


--
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DaveG wrote:

> Hi all
>
> We are about to change our Domain server which also supplies the DNS
> for the domain. We are a small business so the one server is all we
> shall have.
>
> The old server is "Server1" all workstaions have drives mapped to the
> different shares on the server. We plan to bring the new server
> online. Replicate the AD then copy the shared directory structure
> and files, take the old server off line.
>
> Changing the name of the new server to the old server name I have been
> told is a bad thing to do, upsets AD...?
>
> My question is can I handle this problem with DNS. make a alias in DNS
> so that the new server is called "Server2" yet calls to "Server1" will
> get answered by server2.
>
> If this is not the correct way please point me in the correct
> direction.
>
> Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the advice guys.

--
DaveG
------------
If things don't change...
They will stay the same.