Introduction

Microsoft made a radical departure from Windows NT 4.0 to create Windows 2000. Although the kernel itself didn't change dramatically, the appearance, functionality, scalability, and administration of the product did. In fact, the change is so radical that it will require considerable training of system designers, architects, and administrators, as well as support engineers, to successfully design, administer, and support the Windows 2000 environment.

These dramatic changes and others make the design of the Windows 2000 enterprise a complex process—much more complex than designing an NT 4.0 environment.

The design of the Windows NT environment is fairly straightforward. There are four domain-trust models to choose from, based on such limitations of the operating system as numbers of users, resources, computers, and physical network limitations. Windows 2000 virtually eliminates these restrictions and creates so many configuration possibilities that no single correct solution can be easily determined.

Windows 2000 must be implemented by careful and meticulous design and planning. Failure to properly design the Windows 2000 enterprise has actually resulted in failure in the implementation, in some cases.

What Distinguishes This Book from Others?

In the early stages of Windows 2000, I realized that the success of Windows 2000 hinged on how well it was designed. I attended conferences and saw many confused people trying to figure out how they were going to implement Windows 2000. After one introductory Windows 2000 lecture on namespace design, four men came up to me and admitted that they were confused. One of them sketched his NT 4.0 domain structure on the back of a program and, handing me the pencil, said, "Okay, tell us what the Windows 2000 domain should look like."

I decided that this book would provide solutions to people just like the ones I met at so many conferences. There are no easy answers, though, and there is no standard selection of solutions. Experience is needed to solve design issues. I wanted to create a hands-on, real-life guide to Windows 2000 design using my experience and that of others that you, the reader, can leverage in designing your own Windows 2000 enterprise.

As I designed the contents of this book, I continually asked myself, "What value can I add to make this book more valuable to the reader than other publications?" I have found weaknesses in many publications, particularly because they are not based on actual experience or are based only on limited experience. These books tend to deliver lectures and rarely identify the same process. I feel that a more pragmatic approach is needed.

One unique feature of this book is the "Business Advantages" sidebars, located throughout the book. In addition to chapters covering business justification and return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations, these sidebars help keep a business focus on migration issues. Although many Windows 2000 publications are replete with technical data, few, if any, focus on business interests like this book does. After all, the technology should support the business needs and objectives, not the other way around.

I have collected material and experiences from many sources, including those listed in the Acknowledgments of this book. I have been involved with designing and deploying Windows 2000 and have supported customers throughout the beta program to the present time. I have consulted with customers in Windows 2000 design reviews and, along with my colleagues at Compaq, have continued to test and validate Windows 2000's features and limitations. I have used this experience to shape the contents of this book, including practical examples and case studies. In addition, this book includes technical information, such as the NT 4.0 System Policy/Group Policy Interoperability Matrix, in Chapter 5, "Group Policy Design, Planning, and Implementation" ; at the writing of this book, this information is not available from any other source.

Although case studies and many examples come from actual experience, with few exceptions, I have not identified company or individual names so as to honor confidentiality agreements. It is not important to know these names; it is important to see the processes and the results of what they do, and that is what I attempt to describe to the reader.

Topics Covered in this Book

This book focuses on the many issues involved in design and migration to the Windows 2000 environment. This is accomplished through the use of case studies, best-practice recommendations, and identifying pitfalls.

The book guides the reader through the design process by examining the following issues:

• Premigration tasks— The first section of this book includes an analysis of business reasons to migrate to Windows 2000, as well as reasons to delay it. Development of the project plan, evaluation of the existing environment, and calculation of ROI and planning to reduce TCO is emphasized. Surveys, forms, and checklists, included on this book's Web site at http://www.newriders.com/1578702429, highlight this practical approach.

• Design of the Windows 2000 environment— The second section of this book emphasizes DNS and domain namespace planning. Namespace planning issues are noted throughout the book because design of the Windows 2000 environment is an evolutionary process. Other critical areas of design, such as Group Policy, FSMO roles, Global Catalog servers, replication, and security, are covered in this section.

• Migration planning— The third section of this book includes development of a migration plan, implementation of the plan, and post migration issues. One chapter is dedicated to NetWare migration and interoperability, and another chapter focuses on third-party operating systems including UNIX and Macintosh and their interoperability with Windows 2000 servers and clients.

• Windows 2000— A Final Analysis and Futures— Chapter 15, "Windows 2000: Current Status and Futures," gives a last examination of how Windows 2000 stacks up to meeting expectations and takes a look at what is planned and needed for the future.

• Special feature— In Chapter 15, Ty Carlson of Microsoft provides a list of best practices that he has assembled as a result of his work with Windows 2000 "early adopters" in the RDP and JDP programs. This is not theory, but a list of best practices compiled from actual migrations by a wide variety of companies.

Prerequisites for this Book

It is assumed that the reader has had basic training in the Windows 2000 core requirements. This book makes no attempt to provide remedial training or troubleshooting skills, but fundamental principles will be detailed to ensure that the reader has an understanding of topics that are critical to the design process. Although troubleshooting is not addressed specifically, an understanding and knowledge of Windows 2000 topics undoubtedly will help the reader in troubleshooting later. Here, the focus is on the steps and processes in planning and implementing a successful design and migration to Windows 2000. Although the focus is primarily on migration from Windows NT, NetWare migration is also addressed.

This book is geared toward system architects, designers, and consultants who are charged with the task of Windows 2000 migration. In addition, system administrators and others who want a good understanding of Windows 2000 design will find this book a valuable aid in designing future expansion and modifications of the enterprise, and in understanding the current structure.

Hopefully the reader will be interested in the real-world experience and expert advice that this book offers, and will be someone who is not satisfied with lectures about the fundamentals. This reader will want examples of how it really works—and is not satisfied with someone's opinion on how it should work.

Resources

Supplemental publications and resources are widely available, including Microsoft's Deployment Guide located in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, and the white paper Windows 2000 Initiatives at Microsoft: Experiences of an Early Adopter. These and many other resources and documents are available at Microsoft's Windows 2000 Web site, at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000. This Web site contains a wealth of information, particularly in the Deployment & Planning section, that will be very useful in the migration to Windows 2000. Other sites are noted throughout the book. The several volumes included in Microsoft's Windows 2000 Resource Kit are referred to numerous times throughout this book and are highly recommended as an authoritative source on all Windows 2000 issues.

Online Materials For This Book

One of the problems with topics like Windows 2000 is that the technology changes almost before the book can be published. In order to keep the material contained in this book up-to-date, I will maintain a Web site, sponsored by New Riders, at http://www.newriders.com/1578702429. On this site, I have put electronic copies of spreadsheets referred to in the book, an actual Windows 2000 Cost Justification and ROI Analysis, and a spread sheet that lists every Windows 2000 Group Policy setting. These spreadsheets and documents are referenced in Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 6. In addition, I built a replication traffic analysis spreadsheet, described in Chapter 8, which is also located on the Web site.

Besides those files, I will occasionally provide updates of technical information for topics related to Windows 2000 design and deployment.