Computer Migrations with ADMT and Windows 2012 R2 DCs

I was having trouble with ADMT migrating computer accounts between a Windows 2003 child domain and a parent domain with Windows 2012 R2 DCs but at Windows 2003 functional level.  Computer accounts fail with the error:

2015-04-30 15:34:02 ERR2:7711 Unable to retrieve the DNS hostname for the migrated computer 'WCCSSBC2.child.domain.com'. The ADSI property cannot be found in the property cache.

(hr=0x8000500d)

After some more digging and trying to work around the issue, it seems that ADMT is just exhibiting a symptom of a larger issue in Windows 2012 R2.  I found the link below that suggests that Windows 2012 R2 has a problem with SPNs when you try to move the same computer name across domains, and the workaround is to install a lower Windows version DC and point ADMT to it.

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/596864-admt-3-2-intra-2012r2-domain-split

So to do that, I needed to move a Windows 2003 member server from one domain to another, so in Computer Properties I changed the domain from the child domain to the parent domain.  The move failed with this message:

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Computer Name Changes

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The computer failed to join the domain "domain.com". Please contact your domain administrator and indicate that the computer failed to update the dnsHostName and/or servicePrincipalName (SPN) attribute in its Active Directory computer account. Once the problem is resolved, you may join the computer to the "domain.com" domain.

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OK  

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So, what I did was move the computer from the child domain to WORKGROUP, rename it, then move it to the parent domain.

Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."