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Subject: [ActiveDir] missing DC
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AlixUser is Offline

Posts:6

02/08/2010 7:51 AM  
Hi everybody,

I just arrive in a new job in a new company and I have to manage an Active
Directory. The previous engineer in charge of it, is dead without leaving
any documentation. I have found the registration of 3 Domain Controller but,
unfortunately, one of them is just missing. It could have been converted
into a virtual machine but seems to be unactive for a year. As I am not an
expert, I would like to have some advice about the way to clean the active
directory.
Thank you in advance.

Alix

florianUser is Offline

Posts:80

02/08/2010 8:03 AM  
Howdie!



Does that missing DC persist any special roles? FSMO or GC services?



Check with repadmin and the event log on whether the "missing" DC is
responsive or not.

If not (for quite some time), you might want to perform a metadata cleanup:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736378(WS.10).aspx,
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216498



Cheers,

Florian



From: activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org
[mailto:activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org] On Behalf Of Alix Henrotte
Sent: Montag, 8. Februar 2010 08:49
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: [ActiveDir] missing DC



Hi everybody,



I just arrive in a new job in a new company and I have to manage an Active
Directory. The previous engineer in charge of it, is dead without leaving
any documentation. I have found the registration of 3 Domain Controller but,
unfortunately, one of them is just missing. It could have been converted
into a virtual machine but seems to be unactive for a year. As I am not an
expert, I would like to have some advice about the way to clean the active
directory.

Thank you in advance.



Alix


AlixUser is Offline

Posts:6

02/08/2010 8:44 AM  
Thank you Florian ! I fell "less alone"

This "ghost domain controller" is not registrated in the DNS as a domain
controller (hmm things are very simple here, DNS is an old static UNIX BIND
server for the "DNS A registration", only the zones _tcp, _udp... are
managed by a Windows DNS server).

This "ghost domain controller" only appeared in "user and computer Active
Directory", in "Domain Controllers".

It appears also in "Active Direectory Sites and services" : but it is not a
GC and it has no FSMO role.
As far as I understand, this "ghost domain controller" is a virtual server
for the beginning.
It was never registered in the DNS Bind server.
It was just promoted and has problem since the beginning => off.

...

I have take a loo to your references... I think I have to bakup first the
Active Directory (in case of)... I am not sure the metadata clean is a safe
operation.

Alix
2010/2/8 Florian Frommherz <florian@frickelsoft.net>

> Howdie!
>
>
>
> Does that missing DC persist any special roles? FSMO or GC services?
>
>
>
> Check with repadmin and the event log on whether the “missing” DC is
> responsive or not.
>
> If not (for quite some time), you might want to perform a metadata cleanup:
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736378(WS.10).aspx,
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216498
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Florian
>
>
>
> *From:* activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org [mailto:
> activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org] *On Behalf Of *Alix Henrotte
> *Sent:* Montag, 8. Februar 2010 08:49
> *To:* ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
> *Subject:* [ActiveDir] missing DC
>
>
>
> Hi everybody,
>
>
>
> I just arrive in a new job in a new company and I have to manage an Active
> Directory. The previous engineer in charge of it, is dead without leaving
> any documentation. I have found the registration of 3 Domain Controller but,
> unfortunately, one of them is just missing. It could have been converted
> into a virtual machine but seems to be unactive for a year. As I am not an
> expert, I would like to have some advice about the way to clean the active
> directory.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
>
>
> Alix
>

florianUser is Offline

Posts:80

02/08/2010 9:37 AM  
Howdie!



The way your description reads, it really seems like an orphaned DC.
Metadata cleanup as shown in the links would be wise, I think.



The DC will then disappear from "Active Directory Users and Computers",
however from "Active Directory Sites and Server" you need to delete it
manually. All in all, if it has no roles left on it, it is a pretty safe
procedure - the references get deleted. Taking a backup beforehand is a good
idea anyway.



Cheers,

Florian



From: activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org
[mailto:activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org] On Behalf Of Alix Henrotte
Sent: Montag, 8. Februar 2010 09:44
To: activedir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: Re: [ActiveDir] missing DC



Thank you Florian ! I fell "less alone"



This "ghost domain controller" is not registrated in the DNS as a domain
controller (hmm things are very simple here, DNS is an old static UNIX BIND
server for the "DNS A registration", only the zones _tcp, _udp... are
managed by a Windows DNS server).



This "ghost domain controller" only appeared in "user and computer Active
Directory", in "Domain Controllers".



It appears also in "Active Direectory Sites and services" : but it is not a
GC and it has no FSMO role.

As far as I understand, this "ghost domain controller" is a virtual server
for the beginning.

It was never registered in the DNS Bind server.

It was just promoted and has problem since the beginning => off.



...



I have take a loo to your references... I think I have to bakup first the
Active Directory (in case of)... I am not sure the metadata clean is a safe
operation.



Alix

2010/2/8 Florian Frommherz <florian@frickelsoft.net>

Howdie!



Does that missing DC persist any special roles? FSMO or GC services?



Check with repadmin and the event log on whether the "missing" DC is
responsive or not.

If not (for quite some time), you might want to perform a metadata cleanup:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736378(WS.10).aspx,
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216498



Cheers,

Florian



From: activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org
[mailto:activedir-owner@mail.activedir.org] On Behalf Of Alix Henrotte
Sent: Montag, 8. Februar 2010 08:49
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: [ActiveDir] missing DC



Hi everybody,



I just arrive in a new job in a new company and I have to manage an Active
Directory. The previous engineer in charge of it, is dead without leaving
any documentation. I have found the registration of 3 Domain Controller but,
unfortunately, one of them is just missing. It could have been converted
into a virtual machine but seems to be unactive for a year. As I am not an
expert, I would like to have some advice about the way to clean the active
directory.

Thank you in advance.



Alix




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