replacing a DC

[sam]

Does anyone know a good article dealing with how to
replace a domain controller (physically, with a new box),
which also houses a global catalog, and is a DNS server
for my domain? I have one other DC already on the
network, which is also a GC and DNS.

 

[Herb Martin]

It's not that hard -- bring up the new box with SERVER,
update all Service Packs etc.

Make it a DNS server, secondary to the first one.

DCPromo it (while the other DC is still online).
Make it a GC.
Transfer 5 master Roles if the older DC holds them (PDC Emulator,
Schema master etc.) -- use various GUI MMCs or NTDSUtil.exe to do all five.
Swap DNS roles -- old to secondary; new to Primary etc (if applicable.)

Make sure no clients (or DHCP settings) refernce it as a WINS, DNS, or other
server.

Shutdown older, test. Reboot older and DCPromo it (UNpromo it actually, as
this removes its entried from the AD.)

Remove references to is as a DNS or DC in DNS.

 

[Herb Martin]

Good info, except for one thing. I'm not sure what you

mean by primary and secondary DNS servers. I have two
DC's which are running DNS. Both are Active Directory
integrated, but I don't see any reference to primary or
secondary in either of their properties.

Then it is "N/A" to you -- there are three major types of DNS
servers: Primary (changes records); Secondary (doesn't change
records, just copies them from another of the DNS servers);
and the NEW AD-integrated which can change records AND
replicate those changes with all the OTHER AD-integrated DNS
servers in the "set of AD-integrated servers" for that zone.

 

[Jeromy Statia [MSFT]]

Both are Active Directory

integrated, but I don't see any reference to primary or
secondary in either of their properties.

If both your Domain Controllers are AD Integrated DNS Servers then you need
to ensure that the sever to remain up is Authoritative for all the zones
hosted in your domain: refer to the following link:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...s/standard/sag_DNS_pro_SpecifySecondaries.asp

let me know if this doesnt work and i'll dig a little deeper

tx