Failed DC

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hi,
I have a DC on a site that has failed - these are all 2003 servers. It is
unable to start normally, and I have started in DS restore mode. The AD
database is corrupt, so...I have 3 other DCs on line. The failed server was
a Global Catalog, as are 1 or 2 of the others. I do not want to introduce
any corruption into the domain. I am planning to rebuild this server, it had
a bad hard drive. What is the best way to proceed?
Thanks - Wayne
 
I do not want to introduce any corruption into the domain. I am planning
to rebuild this server, it had a bad hard drive. What is the best way to
proceed?

Give AD some credit ;-)

AD won't replicate the corruption.

Perform a metadata cleanup, then promote your newly rebuilt DC into the
domain.
-- http://support.microsoft.com/?id=216498


Note. This will be a new DC. You can use the old name if you like
(after doing the metadata cleanup and deleting the old account) but remember
that this is a NEW DC, and is nothing to do with the other one.
 
Thanks. So...does AD check itself before replication? And for another side
note - not that I would EVER try this in a production environment...What
would happen if you grabbed a copy of AD from a good DC, in AD recovery
console, and copied it to the server having problems........
Thanks - Wayne
 
Thanks. So...does AD check itself before replication?

I can't remember the exact process, but if there's corruption that DC will
kind of isolate itself --it won't replicate.

And for another side note - not that I would EVER try this in a production
environment...What would happen if you grabbed a copy of AD from a good
DC, in AD recovery console, and copied it to the server having
problems........
Click to expand...

Ha ha! Interesting question. I don't know. I would guess that if you
simply copied the NTDS folder one of two things would happen - it wouldn't
work (or help) or would just boot and replicate (I think the former is more
likely, but you never know...I may just have to test this (someday)).

If you restored the System State to another DC and kept the original online
you'd have some nasty, and likely difficult to diagnose, issues as you'd
have two physical boxes with the same GUID. I did something this in a VM
environment, and I basically lost one of the computers ;-)

I had to format, metadata cleanup, and start again ;-)
 
Back
Top