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Active directory and exchange migrations on the way to Tyndall AFB

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kevin Ridge
  • 325th Communication Squadron
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., --  Tyndall Air Force Base will soon become the fourth Air Education and Training Command base to migrate its computer users into a "central" Air Force Network. Over a one-month period beginning January 17, 2012, an Active Directory Exchange project team will begin migrating Tyndall AFB workstations, network users, and email into the AFNet.

The goal of ADX is to collapse all "individual" or "stand-alone" Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard networks into the AFNet. To the majority of Tyndall's computer users, most of the changes will be transparent and should not cause any interruption to network access or normal day-to-day operations, but for the Air Force, this represents a major change to how computer networks are managed. Until now, MAJCOMs and other various Air Force organizations have been operating their own independent networks, driving unique and unit specific requirements.

Over the years, this "county option" approach has led to standardization and security problems, high operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of enterprise situational awareness. In short, there was no "single" organization or commander responsible for the network. The ADX project addresses these issues, and places Air Force cyber operations under the operational control of a single commander. This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts. Additionally, ADX will centralize services like email and data storage, significantly improving network security and standardization. Finally, operational and training costs will be reduced through the elimination of redundant systems and services.

So how will this affect you? The most visible change will be in the format of your e-mail address. The migration replaces the old first.last@tyndall.af.mil e-mail address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address. The new addresses will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment, or affiliation with the Air Force regardless of the base or organization assigned. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to login to their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account. This will allow easy access to the network during deployments, and throughout TDY and PCS moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center, Defense Finance Accounting Service, will also remain easily accessible regardless of your duty location.

As Tyndall approaches its projected start date, a team of Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group, and 325th Communication Squadron technicians are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 7,800 users. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNet, look for future 325th CS generated eAdvisories for additional migration related information. If you have any questions, contact MSgt Kevin Ridge at 283-3215 or kevin.ridge@tyndall.af.mil.