Solutions in this Chapter:

• Assessing the Current Infrastructure

• Determining Requirements for the Linux Infrastructure

• Designing the Linux Infrastructure

• Testing the Linux Infrastructure

• Deploying the Linux Infrastructure

• Migrating to the Linux Infrastructure

• Summary

• Solutions Fast Track

• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

This chapter will teach you about planning and managing a Windows to Linux migration of network services. If you are a systems administrator (sysadmin) with no interest in migration planning and management, you may safely skip this chapter, particularly if someone else is handling these concerns. If you are an IT manager, a project manager, or a migration consultant, this chapter will be of great interest to you. It provides a framework and roadmap for preparingsuccessful Windows to Linux migration project and gives step-by-step instructions to help ensure a hassle-free migration.

Management of migration projects is a subset of general project management. Like most software deployment projects, migration projects include assessment, requirements, design, testing, and deployment phases. The information in the rest of this chapter addresses the project management concerns that exist for each project phase, and offers best practices methodology specific to Windows to Linux migration projects.

While migration planning and management activities can represent a significant up-front investment in a project, they inevitably pay off later in the form of a smooth, hassle-free migration. This level of planning and management is especially important for larger projects a few extra hours of preparatory activity during an early phase of a project can often save a day or more of work...