clarification of Global catalog role

[Neal]

Hi there

We have two w2003 or w2000 servers, both DCs the first one is the Global
Catalog.

If you DO NOT make the second a GC, what happens if the first is offline?
Can users still log on?

Can you make the second one a GC while the first is down or does it have to
communicate with the first to become a GC?

Thanks, Neal

 

[Joe Richards [MVP]]

If you DO NOT make the second a GC, what happens if the first is offline?

Can users still log on?

Depends, if you are in native mode and don't have ignoregcfailures enabled then
no, users can't log on.

Can you make the second one a GC while the first is down or does it have to
communicate with the first to become a GC?

They should communicate though if they are in the same domain it can be done
without communicating but it can be troublesome.

joe