Second (Server 2003) DC added to a single domain: what happens? 1

[mmcc]

Our goal is to have another Windows Server 2003 (SP1) domain controller available in our single forest, single tree, single domain environment in case the one we currently are using, fails.

What I would hope to see is that the current domain controller continues to be used as the "go to" controller with respect to login authentication, storage space provider, application license server, etc. and the second one(the one we are considering adding) "just available" on the network (with the replicated AD, etc. of the first one) but not actively participating in logins, etc. Is that the way it is supposed to work? If not, how would it work? What are the caveats in doing this?

Our current setup: A Dell PowerEdge 6300 P3 Xeon P3 processor (550 MHz) 1 GB Ram processor with a RAID5 boot volume having 3 20GB drives (connected to a PERC controller) and a mirrored pair (RAID1) 200GB data disk (Promise Array Technologies controller). We are NOT running Windows Exchange or anything too fancy-there are potentially several hundred users that could login to about 20 client machines(not at the same time ofcourse!) of this single domain in a single forest. The clients all are running XP Professional SP2. A mapped network drive of their "share" on the primary server is provided to users at login where they can store their files. They run licensed applications with the 2003 server acting as the license server.

Not yet added to the domain: a Dell PowerEdge 2800 2.80 dual processor machine with 1 GB of RAM having a mirrored 73GB boot disks and mirrored 300GB data disks. This machine has been installed with Windows Server 2003 SP1 as well. It has not been DCPROMO(ted) as of yet(I feel very shaky on doing this-I can't disrupt the functioning of the domain controller that we are currently using, hence this post!).

 

[mrdenny]

There is no problem running the DCPromo.

Set the machine all setup and on the domain as a member server. Once it's a member setup give it a static IP, setup the DNS the to point to your internal DNS server(s). Then run dcpromo.

Once AD is setup on it your machines will use both servers to authenticate. If one goes down the other will handle all authentication requests. You can even use DFS to mirror the home folder on the current DC to the new DC so that people can still access thier files in either DC goes down. (But that is for another post, one thing at a time.)

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

(Not quite so old any more.)

 

[mmcc]

mrdenny writes:
...setup the DNS the to point your internal DNS server(s)...

What is meant by this?

On the new member server, DNS is not set up.
Are you saying that (1) install DNS server and (2) run DNS server wizard to configure DNS need to be done?

Do I specify 127.0.0.1 so that DNS points to itself (the new member server) before I run DCPROMO?

 

[mrdenny]

On your primary DC you should also have a DNS Server. You will need to setup a DNS Server on the second machine as well.

I got the order a little wrong on my first post sorry.

Put the static IP in the new server.
Put the current DCs IP in for the DNS server.
Add the new server to the domain.
Make the new server a domain controller via dcpromo.
Install DNS on the new server.
Make sure that all the zones on the primary DNS server are also replicated to the new DNS server on the new DC.
Setup both DCs to point to both DNS servers. Thier local DNS servers first, the other DNS server second.
Setup all your client machines to look at both DNS servers for name resolution.

That should cover it.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

(Not quite so old any more.)