“Most IT managers already understand the “why” of Linux and
Open Source, and many are considering adopting Linux. Microsoft
Windows NT network administrators are now facing a forced migration
to Windows 2000. For many, however, a migration to Linux makes more
sense. Careful planning is needed, however, in order to manage such
a migration responsibly. How costly will such a migration be? How
difficult? How time consuming?“
“This paper is about the “how” of Linux, concentrating on the
challenges involved with migrating large and heterogeneous network
environments. (If you need more on the “why” aspect, consult the
papers and case studies at www.unix-vs-nt.org.) Replacing Windows
NT is not always quick and easy (although it can be), but the
return on a sound Linux investment is always worth the effort.”
“A methodology is presented here which will help you plan a
migration that causes minimal disruption while providing maximum
functionality. Microsoft has attempted to complicate these tasks by
closing once-open technologies (“embrace and extend” is what they
call it). All they have succeeded in doing, however, is providing
network managers an even stronger incentive to adopt Linux. In this
paper you will find pointers to tools that allow truly open
standards to be gradually deployed in a mixed Linux/NT environment,
making it a simple step, when the time is right, to eliminate
Windows NT altogether.”