Ns7 to replace Windows 2012r2 domain controller

[orchard (Lonnie Kauffman)]

I am interested in moving our small business network of 30-ish Windows 10 computers away from Windows server. I have a domain controller on Windows Server 2012r2 currently. I have other Linux servers on my network already and am not afraid of managing a ns7 as a virtual machine doing domain controller work. I am just not sure how to do the transition from a Windows domain controller to ns7 - switching the roles, etc.

• First, can ns7 be the only domain controller?
• Second, is there a documented way for ns7 to migrate the domain controller roles away from Windows Server 2012r2 so that I can turn off and stop using the Windows server?
• Third, if that is all possible, can I then add a 2nd ns7 domain controller for redundancy?

Am I better off just manually removing all the Windows workstations from the current domain and then joining them to the new domain that has ns7 as domain controller?

Thanks.

[mrmarkuz (Markus Neuberger)]

Hello,

see

Add/Replace existing AD Domain Controller with ns7

Could someone point me in the right direction? I don't see anything in the Netserver 7 RC1 on Domain controller setup. I'm trying to get a new Nethserver 7 RC1 install to join an existing domain as a Domain controller so I can have it take all the rolls and decom my old Zentyal Domain Controller. However, I seem to only be able to setup a new domain controller. Since both Zentyal and Nethserver build there Domain Controller functionality on Samba 4, and Zentyal can join a server to a AD dom…

and
http://wiki.nethserver.org/doku.php?id=howto:add_ns7_samba_domain_controller_to_existing_active_directory

First, can ns7 be the only domain controller?

Yes

Second, is there a documented way for ns7 to migrate the domain controller roles away from Windows Server 2012r2 so that I can turn off and stop using the Windows server?

For now it’s possible to join the domain as member and NOT as DC.

Am I better off just manually removing all the Windows workstations from the current domain and then joining them to the new domain that has ns7 as domain controller?

Yes, I think so.

[planet_jeroen (Jeroen Visser)]

1. Yes.
2. Somewhat, It lacks some detail if you want to keep using enterprise practises and some things work differently.
3. Google suggests it is possible, but given that AD is multi master, there should be no need?

[iglqut (Dr Thomas Quinton)]

You already got some important inputs from my foreposters- more details in the Poblems with moving, you probably could find in this theard: Moving from Zentyal 3.4 DC to NS7 DC (AD) at a medical institution
We moved from Linux to Linux, but the Steps and thinking could be quite similar.
Hope that helps.

[orchard (Lonnie Kauffman)]

Thanks everyone. I doubt I’ll move forward with this at this point. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions.

[Mattallyc (Matthew Cremore)]

I gave up too and installed samba on Ubuntu server. Wasn’t that tricky to set up either as there’s good documentation on the samba website. A shame really as I like nethserver, but in this regard it’s not quite there yet unfortunately.

[mrmarkuz (Markus Neuberger)]

I gave up

Never give up using Nethserver

and installed samba on Ubuntu server. Wasn’t that tricky to set up

I don’t see the difference in setting up samba4 between Ubuntu server and the NSDC container with freshest samba 4.6.5, while actual Ubuntu has just 4.5.8. Maybe it’s possible to use the smb.conf from Ubuntu directly in NSDC and “manually” join your Windows AD with “samba-tool”. Or you could join your Nethserver to your Ubuntu server, so you may use the Ubuntu server instead of the NSDC container.

either as there’s good documentation on the samba website.

This one? https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Joining_a_Samba_DC_to_an_Existing_Active_Directory
I tried it on NSDC with Win2003: Add/Replace existing AD Domain Controller with ns7
I personally think, what’s possible with Ubuntu has to be possible with Nethserver too.

A shame really as I like nethserver, but in this regard it’s not quite there yet unfortunately.

Yeah, me too, but finally we should get it there and I think it’s possible!