Rename file server

Hi All,

Just in the process of setting up a nethserver fileserver and so far I’m really happy with how it’s going however my main reason for this is to migrate away from several windows server 2008 machines.

I’ve copied over the files foilders using current settings but once all done and i’ve finsihed setting I’d like to replace the existing windows server install completely using the same samba netbios name.

How can I achieve this do I need to disconnect from the domain change host/ netbios name and then reconnect or is there another way?

Thanks in advance

I assume you are using a local AD account provider and already created the users on the Nethserver.

To change the FQDN/AD/Netbios name you need to unbind/uninstall the account provider and reinstall:

http://docs.nethserver.org/en/v7/accounts.html#local-accounts-provider-uninstall

The users are exported but you’ll loose the original passwords (they are set to random ones).
After reinstallation of the account provider you may want to import the users:

http://docs.nethserver.org/projects/nethserver-devel/en/latest/nethserver-sssd.html#account-import-scripts

Hi mrmarkuz,

No I’m using a remote accounts provider primarily because the AD domain is still in use and I’m susing that to sync files with the original fileserver prior to de-commissioning.

TBH it’s a bit of a bind as I’d like to replace the two windows DCs with nethserver as well but am struggling to do this because the domain is pretty much always in use making a piecemeal solution the easiest if not necessarily the best solution.

With a remote provider will existing samba shares be deleted if I disconnect from the domain and rejoin?

Also is there a persistent way to hide the user home directories*?

( * I know this can be in smb.conf but wan;t sure if any changes here would be overwritten)

Nethserver supports single DC with hotsync backup. Multiple DCs are not supported.

As you are using the remote AD account provider, you get users and groups in read-only mode.

http://docs.nethserver.org/en/v7/accounts.html#account-providers

It’s not possible to change from remote to local AD and keep the users.

There is an EXPERIMENTAL, NOT SUPPORTED method to add Nethserver as DC to the Windows AD:

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

This way the users are synced by AD but as this method is experimental it may crash your existing AD.

I recommend following steps:

  • Backup your infrasctructure !!!
  • Recreate the users in a local AD on the Nethserver. You may export the users/groups from Windows and import them.to Nethserver.
  • Sync the (user) data from Windows Server to Nethserver.
  • Join a test client machine to the Nethserver and check if it works.
  • Migrate all machines and resync data.
  • Use Nethserver hotsync to have a failover DC in case of failure.

This seems hardly possible because the data is partly on Windows and on Nethserver so you’ll need to sync and there may be problems with files changed on both systems.

No, the data is kept.

You may change smb.conf with custom templates, so the changes are not overwritten.

http://docs.nethserver.org/projects/nethserver-devel/en/latest/templates.html#local-site-overrides-templates-custom-and-templates-user-custom