Migrating DHCP from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008

Migrating DHCP from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 is easier than migrating from earlier versions of Windows. This procedure assumes that the existing DHCP server is running on Windows Server 2003 and that you’ve already installed the DHCP server role on your Windows Server 2008 server. (Note: IPv6 DHCP capability is not discussed in this column.)

Follow these steps:

1. Start a command prompt on the Windows Server 2003 DHCP server.

2. At the prompt, type netsh dhcp server export C:\w2k3-dhcp.txt all.

3. Copy w2k3-dhcp.txt to the root of the C: volume on your new server.

4. On the new Windows Server 2008 DHCP server, start a command prompt.

5. At the prompt, type netsh dhcp server import c:\dhcpdatabase.txt all.

6. Start the DHCP administrative console and verify that your scopes and configurations made their way to your new server.

Once the migration is complete, you’ll need to do some tidying up within the DHCP console. Open the DHCP console from the Administrative Tools folder and reconcile all scopes by clicking Action | Reconcile All Scopes. If any leases are found that need to be reconciled, click Reconcile to synchronize the DHCP Registry and Active Directory settings.

Verify that your DHCP server is operating properly by opening the DHCP console and checking your configuration, as shown in Figure E.

Figure E

Once the scope shows the Status is Active, all is well.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes

Know to transfer some or all of the FSMO Roles from one DC to another?

Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory

In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process. However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one or more of the FSMO roles from the default holder DC to a different DC.
Moving the FSMO roles while both the original FSMO role holder and the future FSMO role holder are online and operational is called Transferring, and is described in this article.
The transfer of an FSMO role is the suggested form of moving a FSMO role between domain controllers and can be initiated by the administrator or by demoting a domain controller. However, the transfer process is not initiated automatically by the operating system, for example a server in a shut-down state. FSMO roles are not automatically relocated during the shutdown process - this must be considered when shutting down a domain controller that has an FSMO role for maintenance, for example.
In a graceful transfer of an FSMO role between two domain controllers, a synchronization of the data that is maintained by the FSMO role owner to the server receiving the FSMO role is performed prior to transferring the role to ensure that any changes have been recorded before the role change.
However, when the original FSMO role holder went offline or became non operational for a long period of time, the administrator might consider moving the FSMO role from the original, non-operational holder, to a different DC. The process of moving the FSMO role from a non-operational role holder to a different DC is called Seizing, and is described in the Seizing FSMO Roles article.
You can transfer FSMO roles by using the Ntdsutil.exe command-line utility or by using an MMC snap-in tool. Depending on the FSMO role that you want to transfer, you can use one of the following three MMC snap-in tools:

• Active Directory Schema snap-in
• Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in
• Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in

To transfer the FSMO role the administrator must be a member of the following group:

FSMO Role	Administrator must be a member of
Schema	Schema Admins
Domain Naming	Enterprise Admins
RID	Domain Admins
PDC Emulator
Infrastructure

Transferring the RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Masters via GUI
To Transfer the Domain-Specific RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Master FSMO Roles:

1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in from the Administrative Tools folder.
2. If you are NOT logged onto the target domain controller, in the snap-in, right-click the icon next to Active Directory Users and Computers and press Connect to Domain Controller.
3. Select the domain controller that will be the new role holder, the target, and press OK.
4. Right-click the Active Directory Users and Computers icon again and press Operation Masters.
5. Select the appropriate tab for the role you wish to transfer and press the Change button.
6. Press OK to confirm the change.
7. Press OK all the way out.

Transferring the Domain Naming Master via GUI
To Transfer the Domain Naming Master Role:

1. Open the Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in from the Administrative Tools folder.
2. If you are NOT logged onto the target domain controller, in the snap-in, right-click the icon next to Active Directory Domains and Trusts and press Connect to Domain Controller.
3. Select the domain controller that will be the new role holder and press OK.
4. Right-click the Active Directory Domains and Trusts icon again and press Operation Masters.
5. Press the Change button.
6. Press OK to confirm the change.
7. Press OK all the way out.

Transferring the Schema Master via GUI
To Transfer the Schema Master Role:

1. Register the Schmmgmt.dll library by pressing Start > RUN and typing:

regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll

1. Press OK. You should receive a success confirmation.
2. From the Run command open an MMC Console by typing MMC.
3. On the Console menu, press Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. Press Add. Select Active Directory Schema.
5. Press Add and press Close. Press OK.
6. If you are NOT logged onto the target domain controller, in the snap-in, right-click the Active Directory Schema icon in the Console Root and press Change Domain Controller.
7. Press Specify .... and type the name of the new role holder. Press OK.
8. Right-click right-click the Active Directory Schema icon again and press Operation Masters.
9. Press the Change button.
10. Press OK all the way out.

Transferring the FSMO Roles via Ntdsutil
To transfer the FSMO roles from the Ntdsutil command:
Caution: Using the Ntdsutil utility incorrectly may result in partial or complete loss of Active Directory functionality.

1. On any domain controller, click Start, click Run, type Ntdsutil in the Open box, and then click OK.

Microsoft Windows [Version 5.2.3790] (C) Copyright 1985-2003 Microsoft Corp. 

 C:\WINDOWS>ntdsutil ntdsutil:

1. Type roles, and then press ENTER.

ntdsutil: roles fsmo maintenance:

Note: To see a list of available commands at any of the prompts in the Ntdsutil tool, type ?, and then press ENTER.

1. Type connections, and then press ENTER.

fsmo maintenance: connections server connections:

1. Type connect to server , where is the name of the server you want to use, and then press ENTER.

server connections: connect to server server100 Binding to server100 ...

Connectedto server100 using credentials of locally logged on user. server connections:

1. At the server connections: prompt, type q, and then press ENTER again.

server connections: q fsmo maintenance:

1. Type transfer . where is the role you want to transfer.

For example, to transfer the RID Master role, you would type transfer rid master:
Options are:

Transfer domain naming master Transfer infrastructure master

Transfer PDC Transfer RID master Transfer schema master

1. You will receive a warning window asking if you want to perform the transfer. Click on Yes.
2. After you transfer the roles, type q and press ENTER until you quit Ntdsutil.exe.
3. Restart the server and make sure you update your backup.

HP Product Warranty check

Use the warranty check tool to view the details of your product warranties. 

Enter the country/region of purchase, product number, and serial number(s) and click Submit. 

http://www11.itrc.hp.com/service/ewarranty/warrantyInput.do

Network issues with NS Lookup

PROBLEM

A single vPro machine can be accessed via WebUI, but does not appear in DNS. Its name does not get resolved in NSLookup?

RESOLUTION

NSLookup does not use the standard client resolver routines but uses similar routines of its own. If true, this means a valid name-IP record could be cached on the client and being used by IE to resolve the name even though NSLookup fails to resolve the name and there is no DNS record. To determine this, do the following: In the command prompt program, enter ipconfig /displaydns to inspect the cache for the dns record. Enter ipconfig /flushdns to clean out records and retry (it should fail if there is no DNS record).

Saudi Telecom Company Dials up Cisco Technology to Bring Data Center Hosting Services to Saudi Market

Cisco, VMware and EMC Coalition Helps to Secure Strategic Data Center Win to Enable STC to Introduce Managed IT Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, 24 May 2010: Cisco announced today that the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), a leader in providing integrated communications services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has chosen Cisco technology solutions to introduce managed data center services to the Saudi market. The contract, which will be delivered by Cisco partner Wipro, represents the first Vblock Infrastructure Package (VIP) win for Cisco in the Middle East region, involving the strategic collaboration that combines best-of-breed virtualization, networking, compute and storage technologies from Cisco, EMC and VMware, with end-to-end vendor accountability.

Data centers are changing in architecture, new technologies, application architectures, regulations, efficiency focus, and application and workload demands. These changes are causing one of the most comprehensive IT infrastructure transformations in the past decade. Cisco Managed Data Center services will enable the STC to meet the challenge to address these changes.

Highlights / Key Facts:

• The Virtual Computing Environment (VCE) coalition, formed jointly by Cisco, EMC and VMware, represents an unprecedented level of collaboration in development, services, and partner enablement that will help to reduce the infrastructure virtualization risks the STC could face in private cloud implementation.
• Cisco partner Wipro, a leading global provider of integrated business, technology and process solutions, will deliver the Cisco infrastructure to the STC. The Cisco global and regional team, focused on service provider data center cloud, in collaboration with the regional VCE team conducted a series of dedicated data center focused workshop sessions to share best practices in designing and operating data center solutions with the STC. They also provided a Saudi market specific services creation and market demand analysis for revenue calculations.
• Cisco's data center services will help to lower power costs as well manage and measure the STC's IT operational expenses while increasing support for virtual desktops and mission-critical applications and also meeting or exceeding end-user demands
• Cisco managed data center services will enable the STC to focus their resources on core competencies by providing centralized application provisioning, patch management, monitoring, and support. The Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) will assist the STC to cost-effectively provide these services.
• The agreement will encompass the deployment of a number of Cisco Unified Computing solution technologies within the STC's data center to include the Cisco Unified Computing System chassis, blade servers, SAN Switches, EMC Storage and Backup and VMware vSphere.

Executive Quotes:

Samir Matboly, vice president, Enterprise Business Unit, STC

"The STC's goal is to provide integrated communications services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by continuously to responding to market requirements, and keeping abreast of developments in technology to enable us to meet the needs of our customers. The Cisco team has demonstrated the ability to provide the STC Data Center 3.0 vision and technology solutions to equip us with the right technology for managed data center services and cloud computing.