How to transfer users to a new eDirectory Tree

This article deals with transferring user accounts between two eDirectory/NDS trees and includes:

• Planning
• Overview - Use EMU to Transfer Users
• OPTION 1 - Use EMU to Transfer Accounts and Create Home Directories
• OPTION 2 - Use EMU to Transfer Accounts and Copy Home Directories
• OPTION 3 - Use EMU to Transfer Accounts and Manually Copy Home Directories
• Post Transfer Cleanup - All Options
• How to Move GroupWise Accounts

Refer to How to Move Users to a New OU or Server to move users in the same eDirectory/NDS tree.

Planning

"Transferring" users between trees requires some planning and understanding of the requirements.  Here are some things to consider:

• Is EMU licenced correctly?  (EMU must have licences for both the source and target eDirectory/NDS trees.)
• Do you have administrator login for both trees?
• What OU container in the target tree will the users be moved to?
• Will home directories be moved to the target tree?  
• What location on the target server will home directories be moved to?
• Is there a need to add additional child directories and files to the user's home director?
• Will GroupWise email accounts need to be moved, or will new email accounts be created?
• Are there two GroupWise systems (a source and a target) or does one GroupWise system server multiple eDirectory/NDS trees?
• Are all users in the source eDirectory/NDS tree being moved to a new target eDirectory/NDS tree (e.g. building a new network) which involves moving the GroupWise system from the source to the target eDirectory/NDS tree?

Let's look at two examples where EMU can be used:

Example One

- A large school district where schools are separated geographically with very-low bandwidth links between schools.  This network environment use a separate eDirectory/NDS trees to service users at each school, but a single GroupWise System integrated into each  eDirectory/NDS tree.  During the summer, the school registration system provides the list of students that are moving to different schools.  The administrators need to transfer student users from a source eDirectory/NDS tree to a target eDirectory/NDS tree, and move GroupWise accounts to a different PO/Domain.  Typically, administrators use EMU to delete the GroupWise accounts and disable user accounts.  Then EMU is used to move user accounts and home directories and create new email accounts in the target eDirectory/NDS tree and GroupWise Domain/PO.

Example Two

- A business decides to retire their existing NDS network/server and build a new server with a clean tree.  They are using GroupWise and do not want to lose existing email, so they decide to move the GroupWise system.  Administrators can build the new server/tree and use EMU to move users from the source NDS tree to the target eDirectory tree.  Administrators will then use Novell tools to move the GroupWise system to the target eDirectory tree and graft the GroupWise accounts to the eDirectory users in the target tree.

Overview - Use EMU to Transfer Users

EMU cannot perform a "live transfer" of user accounts between two trees.  With EMU, a user "transfer" between trees is actually a bulk export of user accounts from a source eDirectory/NDS tree and a bulk import of user accounts into a different target eDirectory/NDS tree and copy the corresponding home directories from one server to another server.  EMU cannot be used to move GroupWise accounts.

The recommended procedures to transfer users between different eDirectory/NDS trees are:

• OPTION 1 - Use EMU to transfer user accounts and create new home directories on the new server, or
• OPTION 2 - Use EMU to transfer user accounts to a new eDirectory tree and copy home directories to a new server, or
• OPTION 3 - Use EMU to transfer user accounts to a new eDirectory tree, manually copy home directories to the new server and link the directories to the moved users

OPTION 1 - Use EMU to Transfer eDirectory User Accounts and Create New Home Directories

To disable user accounts before transferring them:

1. Run EMU and connect to the source tree.
2. Locate and highlight the user(s) in the "NDS Information" pane, and right-click.
3. Choose "Modify Account(s)".
4. Select the "NDS" tab and the "Acct Restrictions & Env" button.
5. In the "Acct Restrictions & Env" detail page, check "Account Enable/Disable" and ensure "Disabled" is selected.
6. Click the "Modify" button.

To create an export .csv file using EMU:

1. Locate and highlight the user(s) in the "NDS Information" pane, and right-click.
2. Choose "Export Account Information", select the desired fields and click "OK".
3. Open the .csv file in Excel and modify to suite requirements and resave it as a .csv file.

To transfer the user account and create new home directories using EMU:

1. In EMU, choose "File" > "Change Tree" and select the target tree.  (If the target tree does not show in the list, you are missing the licence file for the target tree.)
2. Navigate to and select the OU container where you will import the users.
3. In EMU, choose "File" > "Load Import Data File", navigate to and select the .csv file created above, and click "Open".
4. Select the desired users in the "Data File Information" pane and drag and drop them onto the desired OU container in the "NDS Information" pane.
5. Follow the normal steps to import users from a csv file.  You have the option to use a previously saved Create Profile .cp file.  You can modify settings.  To create new home directories, ensure that you select "NDS" > "Home Directory" and specify the "Parent NDS Paht" and any other optional settings.
6. (Optional) if you are also creating new GroupWise email accounts, ensure that you set the applicable GroupWise settings.
7. Click "Create" to finish the transfer.

OPTION 2 - Use EMU to Transfer eDirectory User Accounts and Copy Home Directories

Use this option to copy existing user home directories from the source tree/file server to the target tree/file server.  This option is suitable for transferring a small number of user accounts wil large home directories or a large number of users with small home directories. To transfer the user accounts and copy home directories using EMU:

1. Disable the user accounts in the source tree (see "Option 1").
2. Create an export .csv file using EMU (See "Option 1").
3. In EMU, choose "File" > "Change Tree" and select the target tree.  (If the target tree does not show in the list, you are missing the licence file for the target tree.)
4. Navigate to and select the OU container where you will import the users.
5. In EMU, choose "File" > "Load Import Data File", navigate to and select the .csv file created in step 2, and click "Open".
6. Select the desired users in the "Data File Information" pane and drag and drop them onto the desired OU container in the "NDS Information" pane.
7. Follow the normal steps to import users from a csv file.  You have the option to use a previously saved Create Profile .cp file.  You can modify settings.  To copy new home directories, ensure that you select "NDS" > "Home Directory".
8. Set the "Parent NDS Path" as the path on the target server.
9. Under "Directory Contents" click the "Modify" button,
10. In the "Directory Settings" window select (check) "Copy data into Home Directory based on Data File" and choose either "Copy" option, and in the "Select Field" drop-down list, choose the field that specifies the path of the parent home directory on the source server.
11. (Optional) set the options to "Copy Directorys into Home Directory" which is used to copy the same standard files into each home directory (e.g. computer use policies, etc); and "Create Directory in Home Directory" used to create an empty child directory (e.g. create a "www" directory).
12. Click "OK"
13. (Optional) if you are also creating new GroupWise email accounts, ensure that you set the applicable GroupWise settings.
14. Click "Create" to finish the transfer.

OPTION 3 - Use EMU to Transfer eDirectory User Accounts and Manually Copy Home Directories

Use this option to manually copy existing user home directories from the source tree/file server to the target tree/file server after the users are transferred.  This option is suitable for transferring user accounts with large home directories. To transfer the user account and manually copy home directories using EMU:

To transfer the user accounts using EMU:

1. Disable the user accounts in the source tree (see "Option 1").
2. Create an export .csv file using EMU (See "Option 1").
3. In EMU, choose "File" > "Change Tree" and select the target tree.  (If the target tree does not show in the list, you are missing the licence file for the target tree.)
4. Navigate to and select the OU container where you will import the users.
5. In EMU, choose "File" > "Load Import Data File", navigate to and select the .csv file created in step 2, and click "Open".
6. Select the desired users in the "Data File Information" pane and drag and drop them onto the desired OU container in the "NDS Information" pane.
7. Follow the normal steps to import users from a csv file.  You have the option to use a previously saved Create Profile .cp file.  You can modify settings.  
8. IMPORTANT - do not specify any home directory settings.  This will be done at a later step.
9. (Optional) if you are also creating new GroupWise email accounts, ensure that you set the applicable GroupWise settings.
10. Click "Create" to finish the transfer.

To manually copy the home directories:

Use your choice of NCOPY, Windows Explorer or Tape Backup/Restore to copy home directories from the source tree/server to the target tree/server.  Note that trustee assignments and links to users will not be transferred.

To link home directories to users using EMU:

1. Highlight the users recently transferred using EMU, right-click and choose "Modify Account(s).
2. Select "Home Directory" > "Modify Home Dir - Adv".
3. Check "Reassign NDS Home Directory Pointers" and browse and select the parent directory on the target server that holds the copied user home directories.
4. Click "Modify".

To set trustee assignments on user home directories using EMU:

1. Highlight the users recently transferred using EMU, right-click and choose "Modify Account(s).
2. Select "Home Directory" > "Modify Home Dir".
3. Check "Set Owner's Home Directory Trustee Assignment" and set desired file system rights for the user.
4. (Optional) specify any other trustee assignment settings, home directory size limit or home volume size limit.
5. Click "Modify".

Post Transfer Cleanup - All Options

The post-transfer clean-up for all options after confirming the transfer was completed includes:

1. In EMU, choose "File" > "Change Tree" to manage the source tree again.
2. Highlight the user accounts that have been transferred.
3. Right-click the selected user accounts and choose "Delete Account(s)"
4. Select the desired delete actions to delete the eDirectory Account, GroupWise account and Home Directories as required and click "Start".

How to Move GroupWise Accounts

EMU cannot move GroupWise accounts.  We recommend that you refer to the following Novell Documentation and TIDs on how to move GroupWise accounts:

• "Move GroupWise Accounts (GW 7) - http://www.novell.com/documentation/gw7/gw7_admin/data/abps0 an.html#abps0an
• "Move GroupWise Accounts (GW 6.5) - http://www.novell.com/documentation/gw65/gw65_admin/data/abp s0an.html
• "Move GroupWise Accounts (GW 6) - http://www.novell.com/documentation/gw6/gw6_admin/data/abps0 an.html#abps0an
• "Move User Guide (GroupWise 6.5, 6, 5.5)" - http://support.novell.com/docs/Tids/Solutions/10067427.html or http://www.novell.com/support/search.do?cmd=displayKC&do cType=kc&externalId=3128933&sliceId=SAL_Public&d ialogID=13178494&stateId=0%200%2013180851

If you need to move an entire GroupWise system to a target eDirectory/NDS tree then read:

• TID 10084509 "How to Graft GroupWise Objects" - http://support.novell.com/docs/Tids/Solutions/10084509.html
• TID 10007622 "Moving a GroupWise System to a New Server in a New NDS Tree (Basic) - http://support.novell.com/docs/Tids/Solutions/10007622.html

If you want to move one or more GroupWise accounts to a different GroupWise system, read:

• TID 10012347 "Can I Move a User's Email from one System to a new User in another System?" - http://support.novell.com/docs/Tids/Solutions/10012347.html