Re: Undoing Single-Level Domain

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"Rob Boylan" <RobBoylan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:70CB54AB-1522-4578-8B21-35C226A2DF72@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I had an NT domain named FM with a PDC and half a dozen BDCs. Except for
> these NT servers, all the clients in the domain are XP or 2000. I upgraded
> the PDC to Windows 2003, ran DCPromo, and created the AD domain "FM".
DCPromo
> warned me against using a single-level domain, but since this location is
the
> authority for this TLD, I went ahead with it. For the clients, this
upgrade
> was transparent.

> In troubleshooting an issue with the DNS server on the Windows 2003
machine,
> I've had several people point out that the single-level domain is a "bad
> idea."

Yes, it's bad. You were warned.

> What are my options at this point for undoing this decision? Can I
"simply"
> rename the domain?

Nope. Only "Win2003 Forest Functional Level FORESTS" allows for
renaming domains -- although you might be able to just update to that
level, but not until you do that.

> How would doing this impact my NT BDCs and my clients, all
> of which still think they are living in an NT domain (ie they still log on
to
> the FM domain)?

You might consider using a BDC to "downgrade" the domain to NT,
and re-do the upgrade to Win2003.

> The Windows 2003 machine is the only DC in the domain.

I thought you still have some BDCs?


> Can I run DCPromo to
> return it to a regular server and then run it again giving it a two-level
> domain name?

Nope.

> If I do this, will the current user and computer accounts be
> preserved?

Nope.

You can take it offline (and do the DCPromo AFTER the following
works) IF you have a BDC.

Promote the BDC back to PDC and you have a NT domain.
Upgrade this (now) NT-PDC to Win2003 to re-upgrade the domain
(this time give it a proper name of at least two tags.)
--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]


.

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