Taking a Current Snapshot

One important task you must accomplish when writing the migration plan is taking an inventory of your current network. You need to know how your various locations are connected, how each location is wired, and how the underlying Windows Server 2003 infrastructure is laid out. Here are a few of the more important aspects of your system that you must describe:

• Current network performance and types of connectivity.

• Current Windows Server 2003 domain and global catalog topology. If you’re running Microsoft Windows NT 4, detail the proposed Windows Server 2003 topology.

• Network-layer diagram that shows the subnets, hosts per subnet, and other IP addressing information.

• DNS-oriented diagram that outlines name resolution on your network and on the Internet.

Plan to expand these diagrams with information about the migration so that you are not caught off-guard by an unforeseen situation.