2 separate domains to become 1?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve
  • Start date Start date
S

Steve

I have 2 W2K Server Domains connected via a WAN
connection. 1 is in NY, the other in London. They both
have their own DNS namespace and AD Structure. Right now
I have external trusts between the 2 domains but I would
like to eventually have it become 1 domain or at the very
least become part of the same forest. Is this possible?
 
It wont be possible to join the two domains into the same forest if they
have been built separately. What you would have to do is demote all the DC's
in one domain and completely scrap that forest. Then you could re-promote
the servers to be a second domain in the other forest. This would be a lot
of work but could be done.
 
Steve you have to look for a migration if you feel the structure are good in
one of them you may want to migrate one of them over. Or build a new forest
and migrate both over.
 
Thanks Simon,

Thats what I thought. So I couldn't even create a dummy
domain as the root and back both of these domains into
that newly created root?
 
Another possibility would be to upgrade the DCs to 2003 and once both
forests and domains are at 2003 Functional levels, you could then create a
forest trust between the two.
 
If I create a new forest, would i have to rebuild both
domains or can I "back" them into the new forest?
 
No, you cannot change which domain in the forest is the forest root. This is
just an AD limitation. Once this has been decided when you dcpromo the very
first DC in the forest this setting cannot be changed.
Each of your domains are currently the forest root domain for their
respective forests and this can't be changed.
 
You have to rebuild the domains but not the content if you going in to a
migration solution.
 
Thanks again.

-----Original Message-----
No, you cannot change which domain in the forest is the forest root. This is
just an AD limitation. Once this has been decided when you dcpromo the very
first DC in the forest this setting cannot be changed.
Each of your domains are currently the forest root domain for their
respective forests and this can't be changed.




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