14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft resources are available free of charge for customers looking to make the jump from an existing Windows public key infrastructure (PKI) to Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS). The Redmond company is offering for download Active Directory Certificate Services Upgrade and Migration Guidance covering both upgrade and migration scenarios.
Up for grabs via the Microsoft Download Center, the guidelines are designed to assist customers during the planning and implementation stages of Active Directory Certificate Services.
IT professionals will be able to get help from the software giant in a variety of key scenarios as well as simplify their work by following and step-by-step instructions.
The guidance “common migration scenarios, identifies features and scenarios that are supported and recommended, and provides step-by-step instructions for the most common tasks,” the company said.
There are two documents available for download: Windows Server 2008 AD CS Upgrade Migration Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ADCS Migration.
“The Windows Server 2008 version of the guide covers both upgrade and migration planning, whereas the Windows Server 2008 R2 guide covers only migration scenarios,” Microsoft explained.
Users not familiar with Active Directory Certificate Services should know that AD CS is designed to offer customizable services that companies can leverage in order to issue and manage public key certificates.
PKIs are used in software security systems which rely on public key technologies, the Redmond company explained.
“Organizations interested in deploying Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) may encounter a variety of questions while planning for and implementing the upgrade from a public key infrastructure (PKI) installed on an earlier Windows version,” Microsoft stated.
“As part of the upgrade, organizations may want to migrate to new hardware, consolidate servers, implement new naming schemes or installation options, or otherwise change the configuration of their certification authority (CA) hierarchy, while preserving required configuration, historical data, and pending transactions.”