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Tomsyr
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Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

We need to build a test environment for migrating a location from one domain to another for a site that we acquired. The location runs an ERP that is not AD integrated but has calls out to various shares and apps that is AD integrated. We are also looking to test other custom apps to insure they will work under the new domain. The desire is to NOT rename the servers or IP’s during the testing.

The current environment has VCenter, but we only have access to the hosts at the site. We are building a new environment (Servers/SAN/Networking) that is part of our VCenter environment. We are currently backing up the location with Veeam 9.5.4b (6 sockets) under the domain that we will be migrating from. My thought is to import the backups from those jobs to make it available under our VCenter and Domain, and a virtualized VBR system. We would need in the new environment a domain controller so that we can join the new domain and test permissions.
We have full access to everything at the location, including all the subnets.

Has anyone done any type of testing like this using Veeam and the virtual labs? Any tips and tricks to share? Should I instead look to build a test environment within VMware?
Thanks!
Tom
MichaelCade
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by MichaelCade »

Hi there Tom, this is the absolute use case for Veeam DataLabs and in turn your scenario of leveraging the Veeam Virtual Labs to isolate your testing from production.

Providing you have your backups and the Veeam server has access to the new VMware environment then this could be a very straight forward setup. I am just waiting for 3 detailed step by step whitepapers to go out around the use cases and how to guides on setting up and configuring Veeam DataLabs.
Regards,

Michael Cade
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Tomsyr
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Awesome - let me know if you want to 'prove out' your step by steps for my use-case. I'm digging into the current documentation.
Tom
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by MichaelCade »

Regards,

Michael Cade
Global Technologist
Veeam Software
Email: Michael.Cade@Veeam.com
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Tomsyr
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Hi Michael,
I am having trouble getting the Virtual Lab to work. Could you review page 9 on the configuration doc please (Part 2)? It seems to me that the isolated IP should be the 'production' IP, and the Access IP should be the one used for the masquerading IP when I define the static mapping.
I've submitted a case for this and uploaded the logs for the sessions I have tried.
Case #: 03752531

Thanks!
Tom
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Update - I did away with the static mapping and can now move forward. As I try to have a Server join the new domain, I'm getting stuck with the Server being able to contact the DC properly. I have the new domain DC in the environment. I had started that DC as Non-authoritative restore. Should it be Authoritative?
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by foggy »

Hi Tom, if it is the only DC in the environment, then it should be authoritative.
Tomsyr
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Great! I was hoping it was something easy to remedy :)
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

I've done the restore as Authoritative, but I'm still having a problem getting a VM from the old domain to join the new domain (main purpose for doing the virtual lab). Support says that I would need to do a custom script, and that Veeam does not provide that.
From Support:
"Surebackup will not change the Domain of a server without a custom script. It sounds like things are working as they should, so far as they can go. Changing from non-authoritative to Authoritative just adjusts the role of the DC it does not automatically change the domain of anything."

I am not looking for SureBackup to do the domain change, I need the SureBackup environment to allow me to do it from the Server to be migrated, as if I was doing it in production.
I've asked my Sales Rep if I can contract out professional Services, but have not heard back yet. Is this something that Veeam Support can do?
Any help would be appreciated!
Tom
Tomsyr
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Progress so far -
I got some additional outside help to get the domain controller in a state that will now allow us to join Servers to the domain in the test environment. Is it possible to backup this VM so that it will be available as a new test environment is built? There was a lot of trial and error to get to the point where we could get the DC to where we need it, and we only had 1 server to get past this step.
Once Surebackup is terminated - We'll lose everything...
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by segfault »

Tom,

My company recently did a domain migration and we made extensive use of the SureBackup facility to test things ahead of time. We had a lot of AD integrations with Cisco Call Manager, JD Edwards ERP, LDAP -> AD auth pass through, file servers, etc, etc.

Few tricks:

1) Domain Servers (or at least the 1st for each domain) need to be an authoritative restore, but you also need to prep AD controller in the lab (NOT the live system) by seizing the "RID Master" role and "Naming Master" (and maybe others) once the AD Servers is up and running. See https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/can ... r-2012-r2/ for instructions. This lets you do things like add computers to the lab domain, add/remove users, etc. We do this by hand each time since it is rather quick and easy.

2) The lab is just an isolated network with a vm as a virtual router. You can bring the lab up, clone a vm, and then keep it stashed off to the side for later. To use the cloned vm, bring the lab up without its original source VM and then boot that clone once the lab is up.

3) You can also flip-flop a vm from a live network to the lab. We do this with a Windows 10 VM that has all of the client apps installed. We put it on the "production" network to install and validate the apps, then power it off and flip the network over to the lab. Then we power it on and use that as the test client against things in the lab.

--john
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by foggy »

Tomsyr wrote: Sep 11, 2019 2:32 pm Is it possible to backup this VM so that it will be available as a new test environment is built?
Yes, you can back up the VM running in the lab to use in further verifications.
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Re: Virtual Labs to test domain migration

Post by Tomsyr »

Thanks for the tips John and Foggy! Currently working though this...
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