Help with AD domain controller restore

  • Thread starter Thread starter Craig Taylor
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Craig Taylor

Hi
We are running Ad on W2K with 2 domain controllers. One of our PDC has
failed (the first one that was set up). The other PDC seems to be
functioning OK, firstly is there anything I need to do to this PDC while the
other is off-line?

Secondly I have tried reinstalling the operating on the failed PDC. I am not
sure whether I should also set up AD at this point, then I have followed the
process of restoring the PDC from the last system state backup. This seems
to work except the event log is registering errors sharing the sysvol
directorys. On the operational PDC the sysvol directory has the path
c:/WINNT/SYSVOL/sysvol/ but the restored PDC has path c:/WINNT/sysvol/

Any ideas what is happening here?

Thanks
Craig
 
The sysvol path can be different on each DC but it not sharing out is a
problem. What errors are being listed in the FRS event log?
Check out the following KB article for assistance. Also there should only
be one PDC emulator in a domain. The other machines are just DCs
257338 Troubleshooting Missing SYSVOL and NETLOGON Shares on Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=257338
316790 The Sysvol and Netlogon Shares Are Missing After You Restore a Domain
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=316790
 
Craig Taylor said:
Hi
We are running Ad on W2K with 2 domain controllers. One of our PDC has
failed (the first one that was set up). The other PDC seems to be
functioning OK, firstly is there anything I need to do to this PDC while the
other is off-line?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily but since it is the 2nd DC it likely doesn't have
ANY of the roles and may not be a GC.

You need a GC (properties on the DC-NTDS in AD Sites and Services),
or even both of them to be a GC.

You need the 5 "roles"back.

You can use NTDSUtil.exe ->roles to SEIZE the roles if the original
DC has been re-installed.
Secondly I have tried reinstalling the operating on the failed PDC. I am not
sure whether I should also set up AD at this point, then I have followed the
process of restoring the PDC from the last system state backup.
Click to expand...

You can -- eventually -- do a DCPromo and get a new copy of AD and
SysVol from the existing DC.
This seems
to work except the event log is registering errors sharing the sysvol
directorys.
Click to expand...

Might be merely because the remaining DC "knows" about the lost
DC but now cannot find it.
On the operational PDC the sysvol directory has the path
c:/WINNT/SYSVOL/sysvol/ but the restored PDC has path c:/WINNT/sysvol/
Click to expand...

Irrelevant.

BTW, there are NO "PDC"s in Win2000+ although one of the
DCs in each domain must have the role of "PDC Emulator"

How's your DNS? Was the lost DC your only DNS server or
your MASTER (i.e., single Primary)
 
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