Replace DNS server

G

gdavid9

Hi all,

I am in the process of building a win2k3 box to relace my win2k box
which is at deaths door. The current box hosts the DNS for our domain
as well as exchange etc. It is a DC in a child domain. The root DC of
the forest has DNS but It doesn't resolve many names so I can't rely on
this.

Question is, how do I make the new Server the primary DNS server in the
domain so there is no impact on the network once I decomission the
original one?

Regards

Gary
 
H

Herb Martin

Hi all,

I am in the process of building a win2k3 box to relace my win2k box
which is at deaths door. The current box hosts the DNS for our domain
as well as exchange etc. It is a DC in a child domain. The root DC of
the forest has DNS but It doesn't resolve many names so I can't rely on
this.

Then that root DNS needs to be fixed since it is impractically
to have domains without reliable DNS (anywhere in your forest.)
Question is, how do I make the new Server the primary DNS server in the
domain so there is no impact on the network once I decomission the
original one?

Make it a secondary. Change ALL of the clients (and any
other DNS servers) which use the old DNS server to point
STRICTLY at the new DNS server.

THEN swap it to Primary.
 
G

gdavid9

Thanks for that Herb.

This is an AD infrastructure that I have inherited. On the DC in the
root, the container for the child domain is grey (under forward lookup
zones), what does this signify, it also only contains a name server
record. The reverse lookup has entries but are well out of date, any
suggestions?

Regards

Gary
 
H

Herb Martin

Thanks for that Herb.

This is an AD infrastructure that I have inherited. On the DC in the
root, the container for the child domain is grey (under forward lookup
zones), what does this signify,

Probably that it is delegated....

Delegations are grey since you cannot change their records,
except to add/modify/delete the NS records for the zone's
name server servers.
it also only contains a name server
record.

Exactly. That is a delegation.
The reverse lookup has entries but are well out of date, any
suggestions?

Update them? <grin>

Is this zone dynamic? You might delete or scavenge those
reverse records.
 
G

gdavid9

Herb,

If I try and scavenge or reload etc, I get an access denied message.
This doesn't look good.

Gary
 
K

Kevin D. Goodknecht Sr. [MVP]

Hi all,

I am in the process of building a win2k3 box to relace my win2k box
which is at deaths door. The current box hosts the DNS for our domain
as well as exchange etc. It is a DC in a child domain. The root DC
of the forest has DNS but It doesn't resolve many names so I can't
rely on this.

Question is, how do I make the new Server the primary DNS server in
the domain so there is no impact on the network once I decomission the
original one?

Promote the Win2k3 into the child domain, which should automatically get the
zones on the Win2k replicated to it, if you have AD integrated zones.
Then all you need to do is change the DHCP scope to assign the address of
the new DNS in TCP/IP properties. Once all machines have the new DNS
address, run dcpromo on the old DC to remove it from the domain. Don't just
turn it off and disconnect it before dcpromo.

You didn't say what OS was on the Root domain DCs, this is important as the
Schema will have to be updated on it before you can add a Win2k3 DC, even on
the child domain.

278875 - Cannot Promote a Windows Server 2003 Domain Controller into a
Windows 2000 Forest
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;278875&sd=RMVP
 
H

Herb Martin

Herb,

If I try and scavenge or reload etc, I get an access denied message.
This doesn't look good.

Dead reverse entries don't much matter -- especially if
they don't conflict with live machines (not much even
then as reverse zones are largely irrelevant.)
 
G

gdavid9

Kevin/Herb,

Thanks for the information. The current domain is Win2k so I have some
work to do extending the schema before I can promte the Win2k3 to a DC.
All this whilst my file/mail server hangs on for dear life!

Regards

Gary
 

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