Promoting a file server to a domain controller

[Ernest]

When trying to promote a new server to an existing domain
I keep getting

"The domain "mydomain.com" cannot be contacted. Ensure
that the DNS domain name is typed correctly. This
condition may be caused by a DNS lookup problem. If this
domain was recently created, its name may not yet be
registered with the Domain Naming Service.

The primary domain controller is a Windows NT server that
uses VitalQip management software and as far as I can see
everything seems to be setup correctly. Please advice!

 

[Chriss3 [MVP]]

Hello Ernest.

A Windows 2000 Server or later can't be come an domain controller of an
existing NT4.0 Domain, the NT4.0 PDC must be upgraded to at least
Windows2000 Server, the domains can still contains a mix of NT4.0 DCs, 2000
DCs, and 2003 DCs as long the functional level stay at mixed.

--
Regards
Christoffer Andersson
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services

No email replies please - reply in the newsgroup

 

[Laura E. Hunter \(MVP\)]

If I understand you correctly, you are attempting to add a Windows 2000
Domain Controller to an existing NT 4 domain.

To upgrade an NT4 domain, you must first upgrade the PDC to Windows 2000,
which will create the first 2000 domain controller in the new 2000 domain.
Until you complete this step, you cannot add any 2000 DCs to your domain.

 

[eRNEST]

Before I started working here, they upgraded a NT4 server
to WIndows 2000 server and installed and configured
Active Directory on it. Now the other two NT 4 servers
serve as the primary domain controller and backup as it
was told to me. DNS and WINS are installed on these two
server managed through VitalQip management software.

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Ernest,

I think that you are not understanding the points that both Chris and Laura
are attempting to make! No worries, we will try to help you get there.

You can not - I repeat - you can not have a WIN2000 Domain Controller in a
WINNT 4.0 environment. It simply does not work that way. As both Chris and
Laura have stated, you must first upgrade the WINNT 4.0 Primary Domain
Controller to WIN2000. This will bring you to a WIN2000 Active Directory
environment ( which, BTW, will be in Mixed Mode ). Please understand that
in WIN2000 and up there is no Primary Domain Controller or Backup Domain
Controller. These are strictly WINNT 4.0 terms.

So, if before you stated at your current job 'they' upgraded a WINNT 4.0
server to WIN2000 and then ran dcpromo.exe ( the process by which you either
install or remove Active Directory on a WIN2000 / WIN2003 Server ) then they
must have created a new Forest / Tree / Domain - something completely
separate from your existing WINNT 4.0 environment. This is the only way
that you can have the situation that you are describing. So, you have the
WIN2000 Active Directory environment and you have the WINNT 4.0 environment
with the PDC and BDC. It is possible that your WINNT 4.0 users can access
any shared folders on the WIN2000 machine if they created a Trust between
the WINNT 4.0 domain and WIN2000 Domain.

I can not speak to VitalQip management software as I am not familiar with
it!

I hope that this helps you to gain a better understanding of what is going
on...

Cary