Topic: Switching from SBS 2003 to SME...

[mpierre]

I have been using Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 for over a year, mostly for :
1 ) Sharepoint server 2007
2 ) LDAP security (protecting access to our computers thru a centralized password repository, allowing a single user to login on multiple computers with the same profile
3 ) Advance DHCP configuration (I mean being able to resolve .local domain names and host them on the server)

Sharepoint has been a dispointement in general. In theory it works, but it is unstable (Despite Microsoft attempts to help me) and causes a lot of load on the client computers AND the server.

I decided to still toughen it up, because it was working. Last week, for no reason, the SBS 2003 server refused to reboot after a security update. Microsoft says it might have been their update that didn't work properly.

It turns out I probably lost all my Sharepoint data (which didn't backup properly) and I need to waste another 20 hours to install.

I instead bought a new hard disk, and installed SME.

I have DHCP working, I set the Windows Workgroup to my previous Windows domain in my SBS, created my users with a new password, and I am not trying to make it so that users on their computers stop authenticating against the cached copy of their LDAP credetials, but rather against the SME server.

In short, I need to tell each of the Windows XP Professionals to use SME as the Windows domain controller, prefererably without needing to create new users. I know SAMBA can be used as a domain controller, but I don't know how, or how to do it in SME.

Is it possible achieve ?  How ?

[jester]

Hi mpierre,
Read the manual (see link in top menu) chapter 13, configure your server as domain controller. For connection your workstations to your domain read chapter 7.

[mpierre]

Then I guess I am not clear enough...

1 ) The procedure in SME explained in Chapter 13 WAS followed previously. In fact, I read the whole manual before even visting the forum.
2 ) The procedure in my client computer explained in Chapter 7 WAS followed, but with the SBS 2003 server. The SME server has the same windows domain name : [mycompany].local as my old SBS 2003, the same IP : 192.168.1.2 and the same MAC address (it's on the same machine).

What I want is for my local computers to believe that my SME server IS my SBS 2003 server. Is that possible ?

[steever]

Hi.

You need to go around to each pc and unjoin it from the domain, ie make it a member of workgroup "WORKGROUP" (use this exactly, don't use your domain name.  You will be asked for credentials, use your current SME admin and password. Reboot.  Join the domain using the short form "DOMAIN". Reboot.  Presto, they are now a member of your new domain, same name as the old one!

Steve

[mpierre]

Awesome Idea ! I hadn't thought of such a simple solution... It will solve my problems, and since the new domain will have the same name as the old one, it will not modify any of the user settings.

Brilliant !

I cannot reboot at this moment due to a work in progress, but I will try it later on my computer before doing it on the others.

[steever]

Probably ....

What you should do is make sure that the data and settings that were part of users' profiles on your SBS are put into the users profiles on the SME Server at /etc/home/e-smith/files/samba/profiles/username before they try and log in.

That way, when they log in all their Desktop files and My Documents etc will be where they expect them.

Let me know if I can do anything to help out.

Steve

[mpierre]

It worked incredibly well...

BTW, this is the procedure I always use to migrate user accounts :

http://lists.samba.org/archive/samba/2005-December/115326.html

The only think lost is stored passwords, everything else such as e-mail accounts, Outlook message rules, and all of the files are saved with this procedure !