Domain user profiles

[itbookham]

I recently set up a WSE 2016 Server for my client. He requires himself and his two colleagues to use a vpn connection to a server, so that they can run petroleum engineering software on their laptops remotely. Although the software is installed locally on their laptops, it needs to authenticate against the licensing software on the server, so that they can actually use the programmes on their laptops. So far, so good.

My clients' laptops use user profiles which are 'domain' (not local/workgroup) profiles which were at some point connected to a server which has now been decommissioned. So, all their user experiences is stored on the existing domain profiles.

In order to connect these laptops to a new domain (WSE 2016), it is necessary to 'disconnect' the devices from the old domain (system properties - computer name - change - and select 'Workgroup'). This removes the domain profile account but it does seem to keep all the various user folders, such as Desktop, Documents etc on the C:\Users root. The downside is that it is not possible then to migrate the old domain user profile to the new domain profile, as the old domain profile does not show as an existing account in 'User Accounts'. So, everything has to be re-created manually - Outlook, One Drive, Bookmarks etc.

Having joined my client's laptop to the new domain, it broke the 'old' domain user profile, which he normally used for all his work. So, he had to recreate his new profile, which took him some time to do, days not hours. I know there are tools to migrate user profiles, domain or workgroup, but he is concerned that joining the other two laptops will cause similar problems, backup or no backup. So, I would rather not go down this route, as he is uncomfortable with it.

So, thinking of ways around this conundrum, installing Server 2016 in Workgroup mode on the Dell T140 Power Edge WSE 2016 Server, is probably more trouble than its worth. And, even if this route is chosen, it will probably still break the domain profile which the laptops use.

Another possibility is to set up virtual machines (VirtualBox) or perhaps use the built in functionality of Windows 10 Pro (Hyper-V) to create new instances of W10 Pro on the laptops and join these instances to the domain (WSE 2016). Presumably this would not tamper, alter, break or in any any way interfere with the existing domain profile on the host machine? Also, is this configuration supported by Microsoft - a virtual W10 Pro machine joined to a WSE 2016 Server?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as I am running out of ideas, and I would like to help them move forward.

 

[JoelM]

I think this was already mentioned on your other thread but last time I changed domains for a customer who had 20 workstations I used User Profile Wizard by ForensIT. It worked fairly well and I only had a couple of minor tweaks that a couple of users had. (I don't remember what they were)
Other than that you next best option is FABS. Back up the profile with FABS. Detach from old domain and connect to new and then put the data back with FABS.
If you have concerns about what might happen. Image the drive first before trying to do this. You can always put the image back if it doesn't work.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Why would you image a system on a domain migration? The process isn't destructive, and simply putting it back on the old domain makes things go back to the way they were.

Besides, if you remove from the domain, and then re-image you have a system that's lost trust due to the missing computer account.

 

[timeshifter]

Just use Fabs or ForensIT to migrate the profiles. Easy peasy.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I just manually grab what I need out of the old profile, copy into the new profile. Cherry picking only what's needed.

Tried a few "profile migration tools" over the decades, they end up bringing along undesired stuff, or break things that should work in the new profile. Much better IMO to cherry pick only what you need. It's really easy and quick. Heck I do it via UNC path from the server...reaching across the network to \\workstationname\c$\users\usernameold to \usernamenew

 

[itbookham]

Thank you all for your feedback.

I think setting up virtual machines on the laptops and using these instances to join to the domain is probably adding another layer of complexity and cost (buying three more instances of Windows 10 Pro) to the project. So, it is something I probably will not suggest to him,.

I will probably suggest that if he and his two colleagues can spend about an hour a week or so (on rainy Sundays) recreating these profiles in other user accounts on the laptops, then when they completely reflect the existing ones, the laptops can be joined to the domain without worrying about 'breaking' the existing profiles. It may take a few months but better safe than sorry, as I am informed the way that these profiles are set up at the moment are critical to their business.

I know in previous iterations of small business server (notably SBS 2011) native tools were available to migrate user profiles across to the domain as well, which is sadly lacking in WSE 2016. But having said that, from past experience, I never found that the profiles were completely intact after joining them to the domain.

I just wonder though how many technicians take into account existing user profiles when a device is joined to a domain. The problem I faced was that the profiles were linked to an old domain (a server) which was decommissioned some time ago. But it is likely that the same problem would have arisen even if the profile was attached to a Workgroup rather than a domain.

 

[trevm999]

If these profiles are so critical to their business, then they they need to be paying you to figure out what's so special about them that the settings won't transfer via file transfer from the other profile. They should be able to back up so that they can restore to any computer without risk of the restore not working. If they don't need that then they are not business critical.

 

[timeshifter]

I don’t setup new servers and join existing PCs to new domains very often, but I usually count on migrating existing profiles to the new domain profiles. Not aware that you can keep your existing profiles.