Domain Rename feature

Domain Rename feature
Topics Covered
Introduction to domain rename
Steps for domain rename

Procedure of Domain rename
Domain rename was first added as a new feature in Windows 2003 and a separate add-on tool
was available for domain rename. But in Windows 2008 this feature/tool is built-in. The domain
rename operation is supported only with Active Directory forest and only if all domain
controllers in the forest are running Windows Server 2003 server or higher and the forest
functionality has been raised to Windows Server 2003 or higher. Therefore, before you can
rename a domain in your Active Directory forest, you must ensure that the forest functionality
has been raised to at least Windows Server 2003.
Domain Rename Scenario
Scenario – I : A single domain with single forest rename
Scenario – II : rename of a child domain within a tree

Scenario – III : Restructure of a child domain
Step - I
Raise the forest functional level to Windows 2003 Server or higher. Below are the steps to
perform this action.
1. Open Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
2. In the scope pane, right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts and then click Raise
Forest Functional Level.
3. In the Select an available forest functional level box, click Windows Server 2003, and then
click Raise.
4. Click OK to raise the forest functionality, and then click OK again.
Step – II
In this step, you will generate a description of your current forest structure as an XML-encoded
file containing a list of the entire domain directory partitions as well as application directory
partitions that constitute your forest. This file is used to rename your current domain name.
At command prompt type c:\domren\rendom /list
This command creates a file domainlist.xml which we are going to use to help domain rename.
Step-III

The next step is to open the domainlist.xml file and edit the domain names from old domain
name to new domain name. Below is the example of this file.
File created with random /list
<?xml version = “1.0”?>
<Forest>
<Domain>
<!-- PartitionType:Application -->
<Guid>59add6bb-d0e8-499e-82b9-8aaca5d3e18b</Guid>
<DNSname>DomainDnsZones.vis.com</DNSname>
<NetBiosName></NetBiosName>
<DcName></DcName>
</Domain>
<Domain>
<Guid>89cf8ae3-f4a3-453b-ac5c-cb05a76bfa40</Guid>
<DNSname>vis.com</DNSname>
<NetBiosName>VIS</NetBiosName>
<DcName></DcName>
</Domain>
File after editing the domain name
<?xml version = “1.0”?>
<Forest>
<Domain>
<!-- PartitionType:Application -->
<Guid>59add6bb-d0e8-499e-82b9-8aaca5d3e18b</Guid>
<DNSname>DomainDnsZones.vision.com</DNSname>
<NetBiosName></NetBiosName>
<DcName></DcName>
</Domain>
<Domain>
<Guid>89cf8ae3-f4a3-453b-ac5c-cb05a76bfa40</Guid>
<DNSname>vision.com</DNSname>
<NetBiosName>VISION</NetBiosName>
<DcName></DcName>
</Domain>
Step – IV
After editing or modifying the domainlist.xml file the next step is to review and verify that the
domain name changes you have specified in the forest description file domainlist.xml yield the
desired new forest structure that you wish. The command to perform this action is
rendom /showforest

Step-V
In this step, you will use rendom.exe to generate the domain rename instructions required to
make your new target forest structure effective. Rendom translates the new forest structure and
update instructions that will be executed individually and remotely on each DC in the forest. This
command creates a file called as dclist.xml which contains the list of DC in forest.
Command to perform this action.c:\> rendom /upload
Step-VI
In this step, you will force Active Directory replication to push the domain rename instructions
that were uploaded to the domain naming master to all domain controllers in the forest. In
addition, you will verify that the DC Locator records registered in DNS by each DC for the new
domain names have replicated to all DNS servers that are authoritative for those records.
rendom /prepare
Step – VII
In this step, you will execute the domain rename instructions. To execute the script, the control
station computer issues an RPC to each DC in the forest individually, which causes each DC to
execute the domain rename instructions and then reboot automatically after having executed the
instructions successfully.
rendom /execute
After restarting all DC and domain will be rename to the new name.
Step – VIII
After the restart of all the DC the next step is to repair or fix the Group policy. To do so there is a
tool called as gpfixup.exe
Gpfixup /olddns:<olddomain.com> /newdns:<newdomain.com>