Removing a Dead Domain Controller from in Windows 2008

Removing a Dead Domain Controller from in Windows 2008

Before you are about to remove a Dead Domain Controller in Windows 2008, check whether the following given components are running or registered against the system:

+ Global Catalog

+ FSMO Roles

+ Bridgehead Server

+ General Server Checks

+ Whether the user has Enterprise Admin Credentials

GLOBAL CATALOG

If the last Global Catalog is removed from the domain server,the user might face some logon issues accompanied by functions like lookups and searches. To check what server are functioning in your server use the following command:

dsquery server -domain #(“domain of DC that you are removing”) | dsget server -isgc -dnsname

If there is more than just the DC that you are preparing the demote, then the DCPROMO steps will remove it automatically. While it doesn’t have anymore, follow MS article 296882 to make another DC a GC.

FSMO ROLES

Flexible Single Master Operation roles (FSMO) are features of Microsoft Active Directory and you need to ensure that they are not present on the server you are removing. To check that the current server is not an FSMO role holder, simply run the following command: netdom query fsmo

If no server name is the one you are removing, then you have nothing to do. If you are having, ,then follow the MS KB Article 324801 noted below.

BRIDGEHEAD SERVER

To check if this server is, run the following command on the server console that is demoted:

repadmin /bridgeheads.

General Server Checks

Check using following commands:

• exe /v > c:\netdiag.log
• exe /showrepl dc* /verbose /all /intersite > c:\repl.txt
• dnslint /ad /s #IPAddressOfServer#

ADMIN CREDENTIALS

There exist two types of Admin Credentials:

If need to move all FSMO roles, the logged-on user should be a member of the Enterprise Administrators group. Required to transfer Schema master or Domain named master roles. The rest of the operations can be held with a user who is member of the Domain Admin group.