Domain controller machine advice wanted

  • Thread starter Thread starter -keevill-
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-keevill-

I have an office with about 40 WinXP pc's . Files are saved on a Network
attached storage solution server. I have 1 really old PDC running NT4 and
it's starting to creak and groan with occasional spontaneous shutdowns so
it's time to replace it. Since this machine is just acting as a domain logon
server and has no other function, I am guessing I can just make simple
'cheapish' box to handle this.
Any thoughts?
 
I'll assume you're running an older NT4 domain.

If that's the case, and the ONLY thing the PDC is doing is acting as a PDC
and no other duties, then yes you can use pretty much any PC 'within reason'
to replace it.

Here, I have an old NT4 domain with 17 different servers and around 125
users running everything from Win95 to XP on the desktop.

The current PDC is an old HP Netserver E45 which I believe is a 200Mhz
pentium with 384meg ram. But this system has no other duties other than to
act as the PDC. Two of the other servers are BDC's.

I would reccomend that as soon as possible, you build/buy another server as
a BDC, then promote that server to a PDC, demoting the old PDC down to a
BDC.

Of course it goes without saying that you should migrate to a Windows 2K
server/domain.
 
I would take that server, and drop it in the nearest
dumpster, and along with it, the server software.
Reason, I have just had it with the Danes and
Aussies hacking my servers and pushing mp3s
and spam, and no matter what security I have
tried, they eventually get through. I have switched
to stand-alone PCs with local security policies,
and AV, firewall, spam filters, both external and
local. All combined with high speed disk imaging
.... and access to special purpose server appliances
for printing, web based data drives, porn proxy
blocking, and email filtering. These little dedicated
servers and external firewalls are the most secure.
A domain server is a target.

johns
 
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