Peterson’s AFNet migration begins Oct. 11

Published Oct. 4, 2011
By 21st Communications Squadron

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The Air Force Network team will begin migrating Peterson's computer and network users into the AFNet Oct. 11. As the Air Force continues transforming its cyber operations, the AFNet transformation is a dynamic, schedule driven project that will collapse existing "stand-alone" network, e-mail, and directory service environments into a single, centrally managed Active Directory structure.

The most visible change to Peterson network users will be in the format of e-mail addresses. The migration replaces the old first.last@peterson.af.mil e-mail address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil e-mail address, allowing central management of these accounts. These addresses are kept for the duration of a career, employment or affiliation with the Air Force regardless of the organization assigned. The AFNet migration project builds on the successes of the E-mail for Life program, and as additional bases migrate, it provides Airmen log-on capability to any connected Air Force computer without having to re-register for computer access when deployed, on temporary duty or during a permanent change of station.

Simply stated, users will have an account that is always active, and through the use of their common access card, they will have 24 hour, 365 days-a-year access to email and network services regardless of their duty location, eliminating the need to de-activate or create accounts.

When will I be migrated (transferred to the AFNet)?
- Units will be migrated in phases, and each user will be notified of their specific migration date and time by a mix of email notice and desktop alert (pop-up) prior to migration.

- Migrations will occur in two phases. Phase one will be the migration of each computer on the network and phase two will be the actual migration of each user's mailbox. There could be up to four weeks between PC and mail migration, however this will not affect your ability to access your mail.

- Computer migrations will occur between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can continue working during this period, but we strongly recommend you periodically save your work while the migration is in progress. When the migration is complete, you'll see a pop-up notification followed by an automatic computer re-boot with a 10 minute countdown. Your computer will reboot twice.

Mailbox migrations can occur anytime after 5 p.m. on your scheduled day. Each network user will be notified of their scheduled migration date.

Blackberry users will receive a targeted e-mail message with special instructions on how the devices will transfer to the AFNet.

How to prepare for your mailbox transfer.
- Ensure your mail is not being delivered directly to a pst during the transfer period.
- Reboot your computer in the morning during the transfer period.
- Wait a few minutes for the on screen popup to appear; this signifies your mailbox transfer is in progress.
- If the popup does not appear, open Outlook. If you received the "Mailbox Switch Notification" email, logoff, logon, and wait for the above popup to appear, if not continue with business as usual.
- Once the above tool has completed running, Outlook can be opened and used as before, and the user will be operating on the AFNet.

What else can I do to prepare?
- Practice good information management, read all AFNet related messages and desktop pop-ups sent out by the 21st Communications Squadron communications focal point.
- Ensure all desktop computers and laptops are powered on and plugged into the network as soon as possible. All machines need to stay on and plugged into the network throughout the migration. If a computer (desktop or laptop) is not connected to the network, it will not be migrated and will lose connectivity.

What if I'm traveling, on leave or deployed?
- You will still be migrated, if and only if your mailbox is under its size limit. You can access your email using Outlook Web Access. We recommend you contact the CFP at 554-COMM for more information.

While Peterson's migration is projected to take around 10 weeks, your individual migration can occur anytime within that window. For planning purposes, future desktop pop-ups will outline your specific migration date.

As Peterson quickly approaches its projected migration start date, a team of AFNet technicians are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of more than 8,000 users.

Be on the lookout for all eAdvisories for more detailed information. For questions concerning the migration, contact the CFP at 554-COMM, or at 21sc.cfp@peterson.af.mil.