Global catalog on an Infrastructure Master

[Mike B]

If I create a new forest and domain and only have one
server. How is that one DC capable of running as the IM
and a global catalog? KB 255504 says that an IM that is
also a global catalog will stop updating objects. It gives
2 reasons why, can anyone explain these further? I'm
planning on migrating away from an old 2000 server to a new
2003 server for our main DC. Making it a DC then
transfering the roles. We have one remote site which has a
secondary 2000 DC which will remain, but I wanted to make
both DC's global catalogs. So can I have a 2003 PDC (IM,
SM, etc), and 2 secondary 2000 DCs that are global catalogs
as well?

Regards,

Mike

 

[Bobby McMillan [MSFT]]

Mike,

In a single Domain Controller/Single Domain Environment, There is not a
problem with this configuration. The problem of the Infrastructure master
and GC on the same box in a multiple DC/Domain senerio is as follows:

From:
223346 FSMO Placement and Optimization on Windows 2000 Domain Controllers
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=223346

++++++
As a general rule, the infrastructure master should be located on a
nonglobal catalog server that has a direct connection object to some global
catalog in the forest, preferably in the same Active Directory site.
Because the global catalog server holds a partial replica of every object
in the forest, the infrastructure master, if placed on a global catalog
server, will never update anything, because it does not contain any
references to objects that it does not hold. Two exceptions to the "do not
place the infrastructure master on a global catalog server" rule are:

Single domain forest:
In a forest that contains a single Active Directory domain, there are no
phantoms, and so the infrastructure master has no work to do. The
infrastructure master may be placed on any domain controller in the domain.

Multidomain forest where every domain controller holds the global catalog:
If every domain controller in the domain also hosts the global catalog,
then there are no phantoms or work for the infrastructure master to do. The
infrastructure master may be placed on any domain controller in the domain.

+++++


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

--------------------
| From: "Mike B" <[email protected]>
| Sender: "Mike B" <[email protected]>
| Subject: Global catalog on an Infrastructure Master
| Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 21:34:19 -0800
|
| If I create a new forest and domain and only have one
| server. How is that one DC capable of running as the IM
| and a global catalog? KB 255504 says that an IM that is
| also a global catalog will stop updating objects. It gives
| 2 reasons why, can anyone explain these further? I'm
| planning on migrating away from an old 2000 server to a new
| 2003 server for our main DC. Making it a DC then
| transfering the roles. We have one remote site which has a
| secondary 2000 DC which will remain, but I wanted to make
| both DC's global catalogs. So can I have a 2003 PDC (IM,
| SM, etc), and 2 secondary 2000 DCs that are global catalogs
| as well?
|
| Regards,
|
| Mike
|

 

[Ben Robinson]

If I create a new forest and domain and only have one
server. How is that one DC capable of running as the IM
and a global catalog?

Does not apply where all DCs serve a copy of the GC, as in your case.

Ben