Creating test environment - need AD help

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rusty Hilim
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Rusty Hilim

We are in the process of creating a test environment that represents our
production environment "very closely".

- It is a physically separate network (production not accessible from
test & vice-versa)
- We are using the same server names in the test environment as in
production
- We are using the same IP addresses/ranges, etc in the test environment
as in production
- Production network consists of 2 Root DC's (empty root - running DNS)
and 2 DC's in child domain (all member servers & clients
belong to this child domain) -- test environment will consist of the same

I am looking to grab a copy of my AD environment (as it sits today - FSMO
roles and everything) and copy it over to my test environment. What would
be the best way to go about doing this? We are currently running Win2000
AD.

Are there any previous posts, KB articles, etc that anyone can point me to
that would cover this? I am fairly new to this role, so if I missed any
needed information please reply and I'll be glad to produce what I can.

Thanks in advance.

Rusty
 
An easy way to do this is take a server that will be in your test
domain, but first promote it to a DC in your existing domain.
Then physically remove it (do not DCPROMO it out) and place it in your
test domain. Then seize all the roles on it. Now DCPROMO your other
test DC's in this domain. Now you have a point in time exact copy of
your Live Domain.

You'll have to do a manual removal of the DC you took out of your live
domain.
We used this method ourselves and it worked very well.
 
An easy way to do this is take a server that will be in
your test domain, but first promote it to a DC in your
existing domain. Then physically remove it (do not
DCPROMO it out) and place it in your test domain. Then
seize all the roles on it. Now DCPROMO your other test
DC's in this domain. Now you have a point in time exact
copy of your Live Domain.

You'll have to do a manual removal of the DC you took out
of your live domain. We used this method ourselves and it
worked very well.
Click to expand...
Can you expand on the "place it in your test domain" bit,
please?

Cheers,

Cliff
 
In 2003 there is a way to set back up AD from the run cmd using the "dcpromo /adv" switch, but that doesn't exist in 2000 (MS held back as usual). So I think the only to do this is to back up AD on each DC and do a Directory Services restore on the test DCs.

Sory i could not be of much more help

Dexter mahadeo
Trinidad


Rusty Hilim said:
We are in the process of creating a test environment that represents our
production environment "very closely".

- It is a physically separate network (production not accessible from
test & vice-versa)
- We are using the same server names in the test environment as in
production
- We are using the same IP addresses/ranges, etc in the test environment
as in production
- Production network consists of 2 Root DC's (empty root - running DNS)
and 2 DC's in child domain (all member servers & clients
belong to this child domain) -- test environment will consist of the same

I am looking to grab a copy of my AD environment (as it sits today - FSMO
roles and everything) and copy it over to my test environment. What would
be the best way to go about doing this? We are currently running Win2000
AD.

Are there any previous posts, KB articles, etc that anyone can point me to
that would cover this? I am fairly new to this role, so if I missed any
needed information please reply and I'll be glad to produce what I can.

Thanks in advance.

Rusty
Click to expand...
 
We are in the process of creating a test environment that
represents our
production environment "very closely".

- It is a physically separate network (production not
accessible from
test & vice-versa)
- We are using the same server names in the test
environment as in
production
- We are using the same IP addresses/ranges, etc in the
test environment
as in production
- Production network consists of 2 Root DC's (empty root -
running DNS)
and 2 DC's in child domain (all member
servers & clients
belong to this child domain) -- test environment will consist
of the same

I am looking to grab a copy of my AD environment (as it sits
today - FSMO
roles and everything) and copy it over to my test environment.
What would
be the best way to go about doing this? We are currently
running Win2000
AD.

Are there any previous posts, KB articles, etc that anyone can
point me to
that would cover this? I am fairly new to this role, so if I
missed any
needed information please reply and I'll be glad to produce
what I can.

Thanks in advance.

Rusty
Click to expand...

Use LDIFDE and GPMC scripts (CreateXMLFromEnvironment.wsf,
CreateEnvironmentFromXML.wsf, etc.) to export info from the production
environment and import it into the test environment
 
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