Re: AD crash

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Thank you for your explanation and solutions.

I will go ahead and seize the domain wide roles as you recommended. However instead of seizing it to DC-C which is another old server running
Win2000, can I have the DC-B which is running Win2k3 have all the domain roles for now. Then once DC-B has all the roles, I can rebuild
the Dc-A with Win2003 server and promot it to be a DC. Is this more feasible?

Thanks again



"oz@telnet25@.Gmail.com-Nospam.org" <oztelnet25GmailcomNospamorg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:EA43DD37-F233-4981-8BE1-435103F37611@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You are making it too complicated. You have 3-domain controller and your fist
domain controller is crashed.
You have couple of options to move on. Do not worry /waste your time about
the DC-A, since is has already been crashed. Active directory is called multi
master replication model, meaning all domain controllers are equal, expect
the FSMO roles (operations masters)

Step-1
Seize the domain wide FSMO Roles to DC-C, here is the link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255690
This should be fairly easy to achieve, even though the FSMO holder is not
available anymore (DC-A) , open ADUD from DC-C and click view FSMO roles, it
will tell show you error , the current owner, click transfer it to DC-C, you
will eventually be able to transfer 3 of them to the DC-C. I f this won’t
work (which I know it will work) here is the link how to do it from command
line, very easy step by step just follow it.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255504

Make sure domain wide roles are taken by your DC-C and they are happy, the
PDC role absence will give you head ache right away, others will in a time.
Don’t forget if you do the second way command line you will never bring back
the first DC-A online, otherwise you will have troubles.
Step-2
Re-build the DC with different name ( DC-E) don’t use the old name since
you have not cleaned the .DIT database, this is called meta data clean up, as
it was suggested to you earlier. Here is the link how to do it
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/012793ee-5e8c-4a5c-9f66-4a486a7114fd1033.mspx?mfr=true
When you DCpromo in the .DIT database will be copied from existing domain
controllers and upon finishing and rebooting make sure, you have “SysVol”
available, event logs are happy, and you can see the new DC in site and
services and the new DC has replication connections to other existing DC’s.
Configure any other services you wish to have on this new DC ( Wins, DHCP etc)

Step-3
Make sure you have good backup for all your DC’s for future considerations


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