Active Directory Migration Project

What is Active Directory and why are we switching to it?

Active Directory (AD) is directory service that runs on Microsoft Windows servers.  It's primary functions are to perform user authentication and to manage user access to network resources (e.g. computers, servers, file/folders, email, etc.). 

IAS Computing currently maintains multiple AD domains, and this project will condense them into a single AD domain.  The benefits of this project include:

  • By modernizing our infrastructure, the Institute will be better positioned for accessing the latest technology/functionality.
  • Further the Institute's single sign-on initiative.
  • Improve the Institute's cybersecurity posture.
  • Reduce the number of systems used for storing user account passwords.
  • Offer new password changing, resetting, and unlocking capabilities.
  • Increase operating efficiency, scalability and supportability of our AD services.

Please see the links below for additional information about this project.

FAQs

The AD Migration Project calls for the IAS Computing staff to move existing user and computer accounts from the folloing AD domains:

  1. itg,ias,edu/NTDOMAIN,
  2. math.ias.edu/ZENODOM,
  3. sns.ias.edu/SNS

to the new AD domain - ds.ias.edu/IAS.

Anyone in the IAS community with a user account will be impacted by this migration project.  This includes current and previous faculty, staff, visitors, students, and staff.

No, your IAS email address will not be changing.  It will remain username@ias.edu, where username is the part of your IAS email address before @ias.edu.

IAS Computing has spoken with your departmental/group/School leadership about this project and will schedule your migration at a specific date and time.  Every effort will be made to accommodate special requests and to minimize any service disruption caused by this migration project.  It is expected that the project will be completed before or by August 1, 2021.

Prior to your scheduled migration, you will receive a message from your Help Desk staff that provides a high level overview of the migration process.  This message will include the steps that you need to take prior to your department's/group's/School's migration, and what to expect once the migration is complete.

One\ the day that you are scheduled to have your user and computer accounts migrated to the new AD domain ds.ias.edu/IAS, we ask that you do the following before the migration work begins:

  1. Save all open files and then close all open applications.
  2. Sign off of your IAS office computer.
  3. Reset your IAS user password at https://user-cred.ias.edu (fictitious URL) 48 hours before the migration takes place?
  4. NO NOT TURN OFF YOU IAS OFFICE COMPUTER.  If the computer is turned off, the IAS Computing staff will not be able to migrate your IAS office computer to the new AD domain.
  5. DO NOT work on any network files or folders while your user and computer accounts are being migrated.  You will be able to resume working on these items when you return to you office the next day. 
  6. DO NOT initiate any remote connections (OpenVPN, SSH, or Remote Desktop) while your user and computer accounts are being migrated.
  7. You can read and respond to IAS email messages while your user and computer accounts are being migrated.  (DO WE WANT TO ALLOW THIS?)

On the morning following your user and computer accounts migration, your user and computer accounts should now be part of the new AD domain - ds.ias.edu/IAS.  This means that:

  • You should be able to log into the computer with the same password that you used prior to migration.  If you log into a Windows computer, you can log into the AD domain using AD\username or username@ds.ias.edu, where username is the part of your IAS email address before @ias.edu. 
  • You should also have access to the same network resources you had access to prior to the migration (e.g. email, files/folders, network drives, printers, etc.).

If you experience any issues, please contact your Help Desk:

  • Administrative offices (non-school related), Schools of Historical Studies and Social Science, H/S and M/N Libraries, Special programs under the director's office:  askitg@ias.edu
  • School of Mathematics:  help@math.ias.edu
  • School of Natural Science:  help@sns.ias.edu

Your Mac or Springdale Linux desktop computer will be configured to be authenticated by the new AD domain.  This means that:

  • You should be able to log into the computer with the same password that you used prior to migration.  
  • You should also have access to the same network resources you had access to prior to the migration (e.g. email, files/folders, network drives, printers, etc.).

If you experience any issues, please contact your Help Desk:

  • Administrative offices (non-school related), Schools of Historical Studies and Social Science, H/S and M/N Libraries, Special programs under the director's office:  askitg@ias.edu
  • School of Mathematics:  help@math.ias.edu
  • School of Natural Science:  help@sns.ias.edu

If you access files stored on the Institute's network file server by mapping a network drive to a specific network path, you will need to update how you enter your credentials to reflect the new AD domain.  Instead of entering NTDOMAIN\username or ZENODOM\username, you will now need to enter IAS\username, where username is the part of your IAS email address before @ias.edu.

More to come ....