Bring Network Up After Katrina

[Guest]

We have a Windows 2003 Network in New Orleans where two domain controllers
hold all the FISMO roles. They have been offline since August 29, 2005 due
to Hurricane Katrina. We have another domain controller in Houston that is a
global catalog server, and it has always been online. Does anyone have any
recommendations for bringing the New Orleans DC's back on line? Is there a
time period (point of no return or the like) that I should be aware of?

 

[Brian Desmond [MVP]]

60 days since the last replication is the threshold. This means if you get
them on the network like NOW, you're cool. Otherwise, you'll need to
disconnect the downed boxes from the network, do a dcpromo /forceremoval to
clean them up, then on the existing box, use ntdsutil to do two things:

seize all the fsmo roles
do a metadata cleanup to remove references to the NO based DCs

You can then dcpromo the NO based DCs back up.

here's the seize fsmo KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255504

here's the metadata cleanup doc
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...ons/012793ee-5e8c-4a5c-9f66-4a486a7114fd.mspx

I couldn't get the SP1 method to work lat time I tried, and I have the long
procedure in bullet 2 under step 4 memorized, so I recommedn just following
that.


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Thanks,
Brian Desmond
Windows Server MVP

www.briandesmond.com

 

[Paul Bergson]

Brian is right on the money on the tombstone lifetime.

Here is a document that provides details on this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216993

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Paul Bergson MCT, MCSE, MCSA, CNE, CNA, CCA

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.