dcpromo, dns, Active Directory

[gophergutz]

I upgraded my NT4 domain controller to Win2K w/Active Directory. I set up AD on a seperate 2000 server and transferred all the roles to the seperate server so I could format the original PDC because I have to install Exchange on it for a GroupWise conversion next week. So far, I have not one single nice thing to say about Active Directory. Granted, I don't have as firm a grasp on it as I did with NT 4, but it seems overly complex and bulky. Anyway, my question is this, since my workstations are pointing at the first PDC for DNS (192.168.1.15) I want to bring up another 2K server, install DNS, change the address to 192.168.1.15 (same as the first DNS server) so I can blow it away and install Exchange. It didn't work the first time and now I'm trying to remove AD and start over. When I run dcpromo, I get an error to the effect of: "The directory service failed to replicate off changes made locally. The DSA operation is unable to proceed because of a DNS lookup failure." I can ping all servers from all servers, by the FQN, I can see them in network places, I can see the host records in DNS. I don't know enough about this stuff to do much troubleshooting. Somebody hep me!
thanks,

 

[Carpipesdad]

This might be a dumb question, but are you taking the first PDC off the network when bringing up the new dns server?

 

[svsawkar]

Nice- insult the product and then ask for help

Ok, sound like you haven't setup DNS correctly, so describe to us exactly how dns has been configured. What type of zones, where they exist, and what each DC/NT Server points to for DNS and we should be able to straighten things out.

/Siddharth

 

[gophergutz]

Yeah, So I take a couple cheap shots at Microsoft once in a while. I doubt it's going to do any harm to their market share. They'll be OK. Anyway, here is what I know of the configuration (if I knew more I could probably fix it myself). The DNS was first set up on PDC#1 and pointed to itself. Then, I moved applications to a new 2000 box, installed AD and DNS (AD intergrated). We'll call this one PDC#2. I pointed PDC#2 DNS back at itself for primary DNS. I then transferred all the roles from PDC#1 to PDC#2 so I could format PDC#1 and make it my new Exchange server. I had all workstations pointed at PDC#1 for DNS and it works fine. Now what I need to do is take PDC#1 offline (which is the Primary DNS for the clients remember) and do my thing with it. I wanted to bring up a PDC#3, install AD and DNS on it, change the IP address to that of PDC#1 so the clients can still connect, browse, etc... All I know about the DNS is that it has a forward lookup zone, which is our domain name, has a bunch of stuff in there that looks correct (host registrations, etc...). All PDC's can see all other PDC's, can ping each other by domain name, so on so forth. What exactly would you need to know to be more helpful?