Two Domain Controllers

[Guest]

My goal is to have two AD controllers in one office for full instant domain redundancy

I have installed two AD Controllers, with default DNS settings and WINS
DHCP assigns clients primary DNS Server to one DC, and secondary DNS to another DC
All works well with two controllers, they both replicate AD between them instantly

However
When you unplug one of the Controllers, client's WIndows XP freezes and if you try to access files on either of two servers, it says Error: No DC able to process your request or rather similar. If you unplug the other DC controller instead of first one, it may work fine and workstations do not see any difference. Results vary from time to time when i was testing

My quesiton is
Can anyone point me to some article maybe which describes in details the PROPER way of coniguring both domain controllers in one office where if one Controller dies, workstations continue their operations normally.

 

[Dan DeStefano]

do the xp machines exhibit this error when the dc that is brought down is
the only one hosting the global catalog?
what if you make both dcs global catalog servers? do you get the same
problem?

Dan

My goal is to have two AD controllers in one office for full instant domain redundancy.

I have installed two AD Controllers, with default DNS settings and WINS.
DHCP assigns clients primary DNS Server to one DC, and secondary DNS to another DC.
All works well with two controllers, they both replicate AD between them instantly.

However,
When you unplug one of the Controllers, client's WIndows XP freezes and if

you try to access files on either of two servers, it says Error: No DC able
to process your request or rather similar. If you unplug the other DC
controller instead of first one, it may work fine and workstations do not
see any difference. Results vary from time to time when i was testing.

My quesiton is:
Can anyone point me to some article maybe which describes in details the

PROPER way of coniguring both domain controllers in one office where if one
Controller dies, workstations continue their operations normally.

 

[Guest]

you are right,
i just thought of the same thing about GC
so if only AD Controller that had GC on it is down, other domain controller cannot authenticate?

 

[Neal]

You have to make the second a Global Catalog too. Do this with AD sites and
services.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;223787&Product=win2000
tells you what to do if you take out the first one.

Cheers, Neal

My goal is to have two AD controllers in one office for full instant domain redundancy.

I have installed two AD Controllers, with default DNS settings and WINS.
DHCP assigns clients primary DNS Server to one DC, and secondary DNS to another DC.
All works well with two controllers, they both replicate AD between them instantly.

However,
When you unplug one of the Controllers, client's WIndows XP freezes and if

you try to access files on either of two servers, it says Error: No DC able
to process your request or rather similar. If you unplug the other DC
controller instead of first one, it may work fine and workstations do not
see any difference. Results vary from time to time when i was testing.

My quesiton is:
Can anyone point me to some article maybe which describes in details the

PROPER way of coniguring both domain controllers in one office where if one
Controller dies, workstations continue their operations normally.

 

[Neal]

That last article was pretty useless. Try this one...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;255504&Product=win2000

My goal is to have two AD controllers in one office for full instant domain redundancy.

I have installed two AD Controllers, with default DNS settings and WINS.
DHCP assigns clients primary DNS Server to one DC, and secondary DNS to another DC.
All works well with two controllers, they both replicate AD between them instantly.

However,
When you unplug one of the Controllers, client's WIndows XP freezes and if

you try to access files on either of two servers, it says Error: No DC able
to process your request or rather similar. If you unplug the other DC
controller instead of first one, it may work fine and workstations do not
see any difference. Results vary from time to time when i was testing.

My quesiton is:
Can anyone point me to some article maybe which describes in details the

PROPER way of coniguring both domain controllers in one office where if one
Controller dies, workstations continue their operations normally.

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot guys
will do this first thing in the morning

 

[Guest]

Thanks, yea it works
it takes upto two minutes though sometimes to find another controller but i checked, it does log in to the other one now