Recipe 3.2 Promoting a Domain Controller from Media
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This recipe requires that the server being promoted run Windows
Server 2003.
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3.2.1 Problem
You want to promote a new
domain controller using a backup
from another domain controller as the initial source of the directory
contents (DIT) instead of replicating the entire DIT over the
network.
3.2.2 Solution
You first need to back up the system state of an existing domain
controller in the domain the new server will go in. This can be
accomplished by running the MS Backup utility found at Start
Programs Accessories System Tools
Backup. Once you have a good backup, you then need to restore it to the new
server, which can also be done using MS Backup. You should restore
the files to an alternate location, not to their original location. Next, run dcpromo with the /adv
switch from a command line or Start Run: > dcpromo /adv After the dcpromo wizard starts, select Additional
Domain Controller for an existing domain and click Next. Under Copy Domain Information, select From these restored backup
files, browse to the backup files, and click Next. Enter credentials of a user in the Domain Admins
group in the domain you are promoting the domain controller into and
click Next. Choose the folders to store the Active Directory Database and Log
files and click Next. Choose the folder to store SYSVOL and click Next. Enter a Restore Mode password and click Next. Click Next to start the promotion.
3.2.3 Discussion
Being able to promote a domain controller using the system-state
backup of another domain controller is a new feature in Windows
Server 2003. With Windows 2000, a new domain controller had to
replicate the entire DIT over the network from an existing domain
controller. For organizations that had either a really large Active
Directory DIT file or very poor network connectivity to a remote
site, replicating the full contents over the network presented
challenges. Under these conditions, the promotion process could take
a prohibitively long time to complete. Now with the
dcpromo "install from
media" option, the initial promotion process can be
substantially quicker. After you've done the initial
install from media (i.e., backup tape or CD/DVD), the domain
controller will replicate the changes since the backup was taken.
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Be sure that the backup files you are using are much less than 60
days old. If you install a domain controller using backup files that
are older than 60 days, you could get in trouble with zombie objects
getting re-injected after being purged (due to the default 60 day
tombstone lifetime).
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3.2.4 See Also
Recipe 16.1 for backing up Active Directory
and MS KB 240363 (HOW TO: Use the Backup Program to Back Up
and
Restore the System State in Windows 2000)
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