Setting up a BDC in an SBS domain

[jag001]

Hi Guys

I currently have a Small Business Server domain and wish to have a Backup domain controller installed incase the primary domain controller goes down. I tried it and got one to work with a second copy of SBS but then a week later the BDC kept shutting down due to EULA violation. It turns out that each small business server has to be its own domain so you can not have 2 running for the same domain. I also have a copy of Windows server 2003 standard and was thinking of making that a BDC, has anyone tried this? My worry is that if I install the windows server and make it a backup the primary might start acting up and shutting itself down ever 60 mins. This I can not do as it is a production machine. It is also difficult for me to upgrade the exisitng machine SBS to standard as it is in use near 18 hours a day 7 days a week.

Has any one had any luck setting up a PDC/BDC enviroment with SBS?
Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a backup?

I was also thinking of having 2 SBS Domain controllers's, each with its own domain, and then have a backup program just copy the active directory and other important files to the second server. Incase of a problem I can copy the files to the correct directory rename the server to the other domain, rename the name of the machine to match and see if it all goes well?

If anyone has a better solution I would gladly hear this as the above is rather messy and more of a patch job than a proper solution.


Thanks in advance.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I'm sure you can have a second domain controller in a SBS domain but you can only have one SBS server and that must be the first box installed into the domain and be the root of Active Directory any other boxes have to be plain 2003.

http://thelazyadmin.com/index.php?/archives/439-Mythbusting-Small-Business-Server-2003-Part-1.html

You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this...

 

[jag001]

Thanks for the information porkshopexpress but when I was reading the link you provided it stated

.. There are no limits on the number or type of servers that can exist in a Windows Small Business Server 2003 domain, with the following exceptions:

- Only one computer in a domain can be running Windows Small Business Server 2003.

This means that I can not have a SBS BDC in the domain as the Primary and backup have a conflict. Since both are SBS servers only one machine can be running Small Business Server. Does that only leave windows 2003 standard, or is their away to do it with 2 different domains?

 

[dkediger]

Using standard Windows server as an additional DC in SBS works OK. Note that due to the limitations of SBS, it can't really ever seize the FSMO roles, so it really doesn't do much more than provide a backup copy of AD and Group Policy objects.

Your second proposed solution (beyond being a reicpe for borking both domains) wouldn't work either as SBS domains cannot form trusts with other Windows AD domains.

Best approach is to invest in quality hardware, a backup solution that covers AD and system state objects, and document your user, group, and group policies well.

 

[58sniper]

And just in case you're wondering, an additonal Domain Controller CANNOT be another SBS box. It has to be a Windows 2000/2003/2003 R2 box.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt