>Also if you can give me any additional advice about the things i need to do before I demote the Master role server, I would really appreciate it.
what other "stuff/roles" are on that server?
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Moving FSMO Master role
My question is, I wanted to move the Master role from the original domain controller to another domain controller but is that safe if I transfer roles from one DC to the other but let the original DC remain on the network as just a member server.
I was going to transfer the master role using the MMC/AD Schema Admin console to another DC and then demote the original DC as a member server but is that ok? Some articles suggest that after transferring the master role it is not safe to let the original server remain in production on the network so I am trying to get advice from you gurus to see if it is ok. Also if you can give me any additional advice about the things i need to do before I demote the Master role server, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.
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Answers
Thanks Angell
Well right now I have DNS, the PDC role, it is also the time server, I have GPO management, Exchange(although i have built another server and moved all mailboxes) I just have the SMTP connector still on it. I am not the original administrator of this server, I just got a new function so I am not sure besides the ones I listed what else I should look for.
Thanks in advance
You cannot demote OR promote an Exchange server - once Exchange is installed, it MUST remain as it is in regards to DC functionality or you can cause problems with Exchange. Once you remove exchange, you can demote the server. Migrating the FSMO roles to another server, shouldn't be a problem, but consider that in most network, Active Directory does NOT put a significant load on the server.
Note: If this is Small Business Server, you CANNOT move the roles - doing so will cause the server to start shutting down periodically (every few hours - there is a grace period of up to 3 weeks before this starts happening).
I would recommend ensuring your network is healthy first - run tools like DCDIAG, Exchange Best Practices Analyzer, NETDIAG, even the Essential Business Server (EBS) Planning and Preparation Tool - it's a great tool for verifying the health of the network and it doesn't matter if you're not migrating to the EBS platform. And it's a free download from Microsoft. Run these tools BEFORE moving FSMO roles to ensure success, then run them after to verify the things are working as they should be post move.
It is OK, I did this approximately 6 months ago when moving from 2k to 2k3 domain (yes I'm behind).
Promoted the 2k3 server.
From the newly promoted server I ran AD domains and trust snap in and made this server the operations manager.
The in AD users and computers change the RID, PDC and infrastructure manager.
Here is a link to change the schema master:
http://www.microsof
It actually tells you how to change them all.
Then waited a few minutes and ran NTDSUTIL from the command line and confirm the replication:
http://www.mic
You can force the master roles change in ntdsutil, but that's where some people have problems IMO, I believe that option is available in case a server that holds the roles crashes and is non-recoverable??
Then demoted the old 2k server and rebooted. It is still active on our network wthout issue.
Good luck,
HI there,
The articles you read regarding it being unsafe to leave the original role holder on the network were most likely referring to seizing roles. This is different to transferring. When you seize a role, the original role holder doesn't have to be running; you do this when a role-holding server fails and is not running. For example, if you had to seize roles from a failed server, but then fixed that server, you should not introduce that server back to the network, as it still thinks it's the role holder, and this causes problems. The exception to this is the PDC emulator - it is OK to re-introduce a failed server after seizing the PDC emulator role from it, but ONLY this role. As the PDC is typically also the RID master it usually is a no-go.
Transferring roles involves both servers being on the network and being aware of the change, so it is fine to leave the server running after transferring the roles.
So yes, it is fine to transfer the roles using the MMC, as long as both servers are running, and, like leew says, the role holder isn't an SBS server as it will have a fit if you do. Always best to check for any existing errors, particularly replication errors, beforehand.
Tony.
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by: angelIIIPosted on 2009-08-21 at 15:13:08ID: 25156346
yes, it is safe to transfer the role, no issues.
if you want to demote the original server, you HAVE to move the role(s) anyhow.