How to rename your single active directory domain

sumber : http://www.rickygao.com/how-to-rename-your-single-active-directory-domain/

Last time I reposted the TrainSingal post [RT]Choosing an Internal Top Level Domain Name, although I didn’t follow the bad behavior by using .local for my own active directory domain, but I was using rickygao.com for my internal lab domain which is not follow the best practice as well.

To practice myself, I decided to rename my domain from rickygao.com to lab.rickygao.com, keep using the same NetBIOS name rickygao, so the user will still using the same login rickygao\username to login, nothing changed from the user side

I’m in a signle domain structure environment, so rename for me is not so complicated, if you have a complicated architect, you should read below article carefully

Administering Active Directory Domain Rename

Managing Active Directory Domain Rename

For a single active directory domain, you can just follow my steps as below to rename your domain

1. Login into a member server in the domain, can be any server, has to be non domain controller, you can find out more details here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc816608%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Add the “Active Directory Domain Services” role, do NOT configure anything after the role has been added, we just need to get the domain rename tool called “rendom.exe” and “gpfixup.exe”

2. Create a new DNS Zone for the new domain

Type in the new domain name, I’m going to use lab.rickygao.com instead rickygao.com for the best practice perspective

If you are not sure of above settings, you can right click on the original DNS zone rickygao.com, select properties, and check all of the existing settings.

3. Rename the domain

use the rendom /list to generate the current domain structure

Edit the file “domainlist.xml’

As you can see I’m running in a very simple domain, just use control+H to replace all my rickygao.com to lab.rickygao.com in the “domainlist.xml’, keep the “NetBiodName” the same since I want to use the same login for the user like rickygao\username after the domain renamed.