No GC - can a new one be created?

[Marc]

We had hardware prolems with our GC server in a windows
2000 native domain (power failure). We tried moving the
server hard drive from one to another (we are just using a
desktop - bad i know) as we were unable to bring the old
hardware back up. Once the harddrive had been moved into
the new desktop the OS starts ok and everything seems ok,
yet none of the users can log in. So we tried demoting
this DC, but unfortunatly we did not transfer the gc to
another DC before doing so. Now the orginal DC still
thinks it is the gc server and that it is still a DC,
where as the other 2 servers in the domain don't see it.
All we need to do is re-create the GC on one the other
DC's so that the users can log on etc. Does any one know
if this is possible? And if it is possible how do we do it?

Thanks!
Marc

 

[Laura A. Robinson [MVP]]

circa Sat, 4 Sep 2004 11:11:44 -0700, in
microsoft.public.win2000.active_directory, Marc
([email protected]) said,

Now the orginal DC still
thinks it is the gc server and that it is still a DC,
where as the other 2 servers in the domain don't see it.
All we need to do is re-create the GC on one the other
DC's so that the users can log on etc. Does any one know
if this is possible? And if it is possible how do we do it?

1. Open to Active Directory Sites and Services.
2. Expand the site where the server is located.
3. Expand Servers.
4. Expand the name of the server.
5. Right-click NTDS Settings and select "Properties".
6. Check the little checkbox reading "Global Catalog".

Laura

 

[Laura A. Robinson [MVP]]

circa Sat, 4 Sep 2004 11:11:44 -0700, in
microsoft.public.win2000.active_directory, Marc
([email protected]) said,

We had hardware prolems with our GC server in a windows
2000 native domain (power failure). We tried moving the
server hard drive from one to another (we are just using a
desktop - bad i know) as we were unable to bring the old
hardware back up. Once the harddrive had been moved into
the new desktop the OS starts ok and everything seems ok,
yet none of the users can log in. So we tried demoting
this DC, but unfortunatly we did not transfer the gc to
another DC before doing so. Now the orginal DC still
thinks it is the gc server and that it is still a DC,
where as the other 2 servers in the domain don't see it.
All we need to do is re-create the GC on one the other
DC's so that the users can log on etc. Does any one know
if this is possible? And if it is possible how do we do it?

BTW, I'm not sure that the GC issue is actually the problem here. How
many domains do you have?

Laura

 

[Guest]

Hi Thanks for the help, we have only 1 domain, and we have
enabled the gc on the other dc and restarted it, but still
the same problem.

Here is the result of the dcdiag:

Starting test: Advertising
Warning: JUPITER has not finished promoting to be
a GC.
Check the event log for domains that cannot be
replicated.
Warning: JUPITER is not advertising as a global
catalog.
Check that server finished GC promotion.
Check the event log on server that enough source
replicas for the GC ar
e available.

Intersite
Starting test: FsmoCheck
Warning: DcGetDcName(GC_SERVER_REQUIRED) call
failed, error 1355
A Global Catalog Server could not be located - All
GC's are down.

Jupiter now holds all of the domain FSMO roles - these
have been successfully siezed from the orginal DC, but as
you can see jupiter has not finished promting itself to a
GC server. So we beleive there are no copies of the gc to
allow jupiter to replicate the gc.

Thanks again for your help!
Marc.

 

[Laura A. Robinson [MVP]]

circa Sat, 4 Sep 2004 12:54:26 -0700, in
microsoft.public.win2000.active_directory,
(e-mail address removed)
([email protected]) said,

Hi Thanks for the help, we have only 1 domain, and we have
enabled the gc on the other dc and restarted it, but still
the same problem.

Here is the result of the dcdiag:

Starting test: Advertising
Warning: JUPITER has not finished promoting to be
a GC.
Check the event log for domains that cannot be
replicated.
Warning: JUPITER is not advertising as a global
catalog.
Check that server finished GC promotion.
Check the event log on server that enough source
replicas for the GC ar
e available.

Intersite
Starting test: FsmoCheck
Warning: DcGetDcName(GC_SERVER_REQUIRED) call
failed, error 1355
A Global Catalog Server could not be located - All
GC's are down.

Jupiter now holds all of the domain FSMO roles - these
have been successfully siezed from the orginal DC, but as
you can see jupiter has not finished promting itself to a
GC server. So we beleive there are no copies of the gc to
allow jupiter to replicate the gc.

Okay, have you used NTDSUtil before?

Laura

 

[Guest]

yeah a couple of times - can that be used to restore the
GC? We had to use it to seize the FSMO roles...

 

[ptwilliams]

Before anything else, you're going to have to perform a metadata cleanup of
the failed DC. Once you've done this, then you'll need to try the GC
promotion again.

Follow these instructions for info. on how to perform a metadata cleanup.
-- http://support.microsoft.com/?id=216498

* Note. You bind to your working DC, and delete the dead DC. (Lot's of
people try to bind to the old, dead, DC).


--

Paul Williams
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http://www.msresource.net


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yeah a couple of times - can that be used to restore the
GC? We had to use it to seize the FSMO roles...