Requirements for a DC

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tim
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Tim

Please keep in mind, I'm a novice when it comes to Windows 2000 Server. I'm
still used to Windows NT 4.0 Server...

I'd like to make my Windows 2000 Server into a Domain Controller. Right now,
it's just a member of a workgroup. To do that, I understand I cannot use DHCP
on it.

It is connected to a LAN of 5 computers right now (home computers), and all of
them are connected to a router which is sharing a cable internet connection, and
so it is providing DHCP functions. My network runs on TCP/IP only for internet
use, but file sharing is only allowed on the IPX/SPX protocol stack. Is there a
way around this?

Also, in the interim, how can it become the master browser? I was under the
impression that any server operating system becomes the master browser. I look
at my event logs on the server and I see it's relinquished that role to another
computer running Windows XP Professional....

Thanks for any assistance!

Tim
 
Tim said:
Please keep in mind, I'm a novice when it comes to Windows 2000 Server. I'm
still used to Windows NT 4.0 Server...
Click to expand...

You'll be happy to know that NT4 knowledge, in my opinion, is a requirement
in order to understand W2K servers. The principle changes you'll be
concerned with are:
a) how the network structure in W2K supports hierachy (NT4 domains are flat/
2 dimensional)
b) W2K's name resolution is DNS (NT4 resolves/connects with netbios)
c) How W2K DCs replace PDC to BDC domain replication and how W2K supports
mixed domains with "PDC emulators" (hence: the importance of FSMO roles).
I'd like to make my Windows 2000 Server into a Domain Controller. Right now,
it's just a member of a workgroup. To do that, I understand I cannot use DHCP
on it.
Click to expand...

A server should be using static ip_addresses. You have 2 choices to move
from a standalone NT4 server to a W2K DC, upgrade NT4 to W2K and run dcpromo
OR a fresh install of W2K + dcpromo. The decision depends on what baggage
you'ld loose if you start a new server installation vs the inherent problems
ascociated with any upgrade.

Whatever you do, take the time to insure W2K hardware compatibility, bios
compatibility and software compatibility. You could, for example, perform a
simple test on NT4 standalone server by running W2K's "winnt32
/checkupgradeonly" found in W2K CD's I386 directory to verify basic W2K
compliance.
It is connected to a LAN of 5 computers right now (home computers), and all of
them are connected to a router which is sharing a cable internet connection, and
so it is providing DHCP functions. My network runs on TCP/IP only for internet
use, but file sharing is only allowed on the IPX/SPX protocol stack. Is there a
way around this?
Click to expand...

tcp/ip is all you need. The hick is that you must provide a dns server to
support W2K's name resolution. While it's not recommended to run dns on a
W2K DC on a company network, in this case you'll be fine. Just remember that
you want to configure a dns database without a root zone and with dns
forwarders. This allows clients to query the local dns server, which in turn
queries the ISP's dns for external names.

DNS is often an issue for administrators moving from NT4 to W2K. However,
dns is not an option, it's a critical part of W2K networks. NT4's netbios
naming scheme is why hierachy can't be supported. A W2K's fqdn (fully
qualified domain name) denotes a precise dns hierarchy. You'll find
excellent whitepapers on dns from a number of sources on the web, just do a
search at google.
Also, in the interim, how can it become the master browser? I was under the
impression that any server operating system becomes the master browser. I look
at my event logs on the server and I see it's relinquished that role to another
computer running Windows XP Professional....
Click to expand...

Valid for NT, W2K and XP:
Find the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters
look for MaintainServerList (REG_SZ)
and set it to Yes/No/Auto where appropriate
 
Salt_Peter said:
You'll be happy to know that NT4 knowledge, in my opinion, is a requirement
in order to understand W2K servers. The principle changes you'll be
concerned with are:
a) how the network structure in W2K supports hierachy (NT4 domains are flat/
2 dimensional)
b) W2K's name resolution is DNS (NT4 resolves/connects with netbios)
c) How W2K DCs replace PDC to BDC domain replication and how W2K supports
mixed domains with "PDC emulators" (hence: the importance of FSMO roles).


A server should be using static ip_addresses. You have 2 choices to move
from a standalone NT4 server to a W2K DC, upgrade NT4 to W2K and run dcpromo
OR a fresh install of W2K + dcpromo. The decision depends on what baggage
you'ld loose if you start a new server installation vs the inherent problems
ascociated with any upgrade.
Click to expand...

That's what I was afraid of messing with. I have books of course to be able to
show me what to do and what things are doing as I do it.... I purchased some
MCSE 2000 books from Microsoft Press....

But, what I'm beginning to understand is that I may have to turn the server into
the router for my network's internet connection and share it from there. It is
already setup with 2 NIC's... one for the Internet and my local LAN, and the
second one is not being used at the moment. My only problem here is that all
the computers are accessing the internet from an external router, including the
server (currently not a DC), but on top of all that, filesharing is enabled only
on the IPX/SPX....

I can switch it to all the server, and have it share out the internet
connection, but I don't want to disrupt someone's download because I rebooted
the server... or maybe I was running an intensive application on it and it
locked up while I was at work..... things like that.
Whatever you do, take the time to insure W2K hardware compatibility, bios
compatibility and software compatibility. You could, for example, perform a
simple test on NT4 standalone server by running W2K's "winnt32
/checkupgradeonly" found in W2K CD's I386 directory to verify basic W2K
compliance.
Click to expand...

Oh, when I bought Win2k Svr, I went ahead and configured all computers to be a
member of a workgroup instead of my old NT4 domain, and then I wiped the server
(except data drives) and installed Win2k Fresh. It is compliant, I know that.
It's a Tyan Tiger 133, running two P3 850MHz CPU's and 768MB of PC133 RAM. It's
even running in ACPI Multiprocessor Kernel :-)
Valid for NT, W2K and XP:
Find the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters
look for MaintainServerList (REG_SZ)
and set it to Yes/No/Auto where appropriate
Click to expand...

Awesome... THANKS! But still, does the automatica master browser choose the
highest NT Version number? I could have sworn classes I've taken referred that
the highest version number of any SERVER operating system found would maintain
the server list...... granted, it's not a DC right now, but still a server....
 
That's normal, you need to stop the service before making the registry
alteration.
 
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