Let's take a look at the migration process to Enhanced Directory Services. The new Enhanced DS domains will be fully interoperable with Windows NT Server domains. (that is Existing Windows NT Server domains will be able to trust Enhanced DS domains, just as they trust other Windows NT Server domains today.) Enhanced DS servers will also be able to function as backup domain controllers for Windows NT Server domains. This interoperability will allow the upgrade to Enhanced DS server to occur in an orderly fashion, while allowing existing Windows NT Server-based servers to work without modification.
Administrators will not be forced to use the Enhanced DS administration model until they're ready to do so. Even when Enhanced DS servers are on the network, for example, administrators will be able to maintain all account information in the Windows NT Server domain, using the current Windows NT Server administration tools. Thus, administrators will be able to deploy Enhanced DS servers without disrupting the administration of the network.
As Enhanced DS servers are deployed, administrators can begin to store user account information on Enhanced DS servers, while continuing to store and administer those accounts in and from the Windows NT Server domain. This will allow organizations to migrate account information to a Enhanced DS server in an incremental fashion as they gain confidence in the stability and capability of Enhanced DS. Once Enhanced DS servers are well-established, administrators will be able to maintain all account information on Enhanced DS servers, using the Enhanced DS tools. Further, for non-Enhanced DS clients, however, Enhanced DS servers will continue to look and act just like
Windows NT Server 4.x-based servers.
Once all client and server transitions have been completed, the Enhanced DS environment will be the everyday environment for both end users and system administrators. And, the transition enabled by the interoperability between and integration of Windows NT Server and Enhanced DS will allow organizations to make an easy transition to the unified and global name space provided by Enhanced DS, without disrupting the day-to-day operations of the network.
There will continue to be support for NetBEUI and IPX, however it is important to understand that the Microsoft stated direction is TCP/IP, as is true for most other networking vendors.
If you choose to use IPX and NetEUI in the next revision of Windows NT, you will be required to use NetBIOS. However, if you choose TCP/IP as your choice protocol, NetBIOS is not required as part of the architecture.
You will have a need to use NetBIOS name resolution on your network, as long as you have applications that require NetBIOS names. When you choose to begin the migration to the Enhanced DS you need to find out all of the applications (services and so forth) that require NetBIOS and have a host name migration plan for each.
On the path to a true Windows NT Enhanced Directory Services environment (without NetBIOS) there will be a required migration path that includes the use of all three standards to support backward compatibility with legacy NetBIOS systems.
As machines running Windows NT Enhanced Directory Services start up, they will use existing WINS protocol to register NetBIOS names with their configured WINS server, and register their "A" record(s) with their DNS server. Hence, the Windows NT NetBIOS and DNS name-to-IP-address mappings are made available to all machines using Windows NT Enhanced DS and down level machines (Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups, and so on).
As servers running Windows NT Enhanced DS, that contain the Directory Services Database, start up they will not only register a NetBIOS name with the WINS server, and an "A" record with the DNS server, but they will also register another record with the DNS server that defines the location, DS access protocols supported, transport protocols and so forth. There may be multiple "A" records registered for a machine. For example, an Enhanced Directory Services DC may register:
phoenix.nt.microsoft.com A 123.123.123.123
domain-controllers.nt.microsoft.com A 123.123.123.123
This will allow other Enhanced Directory Services workstations to find DCs to validate their security credentials.