Changing FQDN on network after becoming academy

[Kyle]

Is it possible or should I say how do you change the FQDN on your network? We were originally a LA school but have now become and academy. Our FQDN contained the normal schoolname.localauthority.sch.uk but we are now an academy and ideally I would like to change the FQDN to our new name. Trouble is everything is working ok and I am just being a little OCD.

 

Is it worth the hassle changing and if so how do I do it?

[featured_spectre]

If you are buying a new server, do it on the new server in prep for the migration of Data and AD etc. If you are not buying in a new server,if it works, why change it?

[DMcCoy]

Do you have exchange? If the answer is yes, but anything other than 2003 sp2, don't bother.

[Kyle]

No we don't have exchange on site.

[localzuk]

It is doable, but I'd advise against it. I'd go for the 'build a new domain and migrate to it' approach personally. However, if that doesn't seem like its going to happen, there is a bunch of guidance from MS here - What Is Domain Rename?: Active Directory

[elsiegee40]

Is the school changing its name? If not, why change?

 

My governor school didn't change its name or domain on conversion...as an outstanding school with an good reputation, why dump a domain that people knew?

[Kyle]

Yes the school has had a complete name change.

[jonwitts]

I did a domain rename at my last place as the domain name I inherited had an underscore in it. Server 2000 and 2003 would accept this invalid DNS character in the domain name but when we came to install Exchange 2010 it would not!

 

There is some very good and in-depth Microsoft documentation on renaming a domain but it all comes stamped with "Microsoft do not support this in a live environment"! It worked OK for us, but it was a long process and required a lot of planning...

 

Migration to a new domain may be easier if that is a possibility.

 

Jon