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JB MDL's computer network migrates to AFNET

  • Published
  • By 87th Communications Squadron
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will soon be the eighth Air Mobility Command base to migrate its computer users who operate on the AMC network into the enterprise-level Air Force network.

This migration is known as the Active Directory and Exchange Migration or ADX. Personnel affected will be those individuals who currently have an e-mail address ending with "mcguire.af.mil." Over a two-month period beginning Jan. 10, a team from the Air Force Network Integration Center will begin a phased migration of JB MDL computer workstations and e-mail into the AFNET.

The goal of ADX is to consolidate all independent Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard networks into the AFNET. To the majority of JB MDL computer users, the changes will be transparent and should not cause any interruption to network access or normal day-to-day operations. For the Air Force, this migration 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 approach 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 e-mail 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 mcguire.af.mil accounts? During the initial migration, users can expect periodic but temporary computer and Blackberry outages. The goal will be to precede each outage with a warning of the impending down time.

After the migration, the most visible change will be the format of e-mail address. This migration replaces the old e-mail addresses, first.last@mcguire.af.mil, with the standard e-mail-for-life address, first.last@us.af.mil.

For six months following the migration, old "mcguire.af.mil" e-mail addresses will automatically forward to respective E4L addresses. 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. Additionally, as more bases join the AFNET, Airmen will be able to log in to their accounts and access services from any AFNET base without requesting and creating an additional account. This will allow easy access to the network during deployments, evacuations to other bases, temporary duty and throughout permanent change station moves.

It is important to note once the migration occurs, help desk calls for unclassified computer support will no longer be addressed by the local communications squadron. Instead, calls will be automatically transferred to one of four Enterprise Service Desks located throughout the continental United States and outside the continental United States. The 87th Communication Squadron will still be responsible for telephone, Blackberry, land mobile radio and classified trouble tickets.

JB MDL is not the first base to migrate into the AFNET. 87th CS is corresponding with bases that have already migrated to all lessons learned. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNET, look for 87th CS generated advisories for additional migration-related information. Please direct questions to scx.feedback@mcguire.af.mil.