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05.08.2008 at 03:06AM PDT, ID: 23385508
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Secondary Domain Controller Setup
Tags: Microsoft, Active Directory, Server 2003 R2 SP2
Hi, I currently have a domain controller in place but want to configure a secondary DC in case the first fails. I haven't got the expertise to try this myself so have asked for a quote from an external support company on this occasion but I think they are over-estimating the hours involved but wanted to check before going back to them.

They have allowed half a day's senior MCSE engineer time. Is this adequate or overkill for the job involved?

The server to be configured is running Win Server 2003 and is also our Exchange server. This is joined to our domain and operating already.
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Question Stats
Zone: OS
Question Asked By: iciclee
Solution Provided By: oBdA
Participating Experts: 2
Solution Grade: A
Views: 22
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05.08.2008 at 03:33AM PDT, ID: 21523567

Rank: Genius

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05.08.2008 at 03:56AM PDT, ID: 21523653

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05.08.2008 at 04:57AM PDT, ID: 21523896

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05.08.2008 at 05:27AM PDT, ID: 21524032

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05.08.2008 at 05:31AM PDT, ID: 21524054

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05.08.2008 at 03:33AM PDT, ID: 21523567

Rank: Genius

Sorry, what you're planning is currently *NOT* possible.
You can not promote or demote a server that is running Exchange; doing so will break Exchange.
You'll need an additional server if you want to have another DC.
From the link below:
"You can run Exchange Server 2003 on either a member server or on a domain controller. After you install Exchange Server 2003 on a server, do not change the role of the server. For example, if you install Exchange Server 2003 on a member server, do not use the Dcpromo tool to promote the server to a domain controller. [...] Changing the role of a server after you install Exchange Server 2003 may result in loss of some Exchange functionality and is not supported."
Overview of operating system and Active Directory requirements for Exchange Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822179

The half day is not overkill. You're paying him to deliver a working result, and that means that he needs to get to know your network.
Running dcpromo obviously doesn't take long. Making sure everything runs correctly afterwards can take some time.
Accepted Solution
 
05.08.2008 at 03:56AM PDT, ID: 21523653
I would second oBdA's comments and go further to say that half a day is a bargain.  Most support firms would charge one to two days for this sort of work because of all the ground work up front and documentation and testing post-change.

However if the support company is aware that you want to DCPromo an Exchange server and they haven't raised a concern perhaps you should be looking elsewhere?
 
05.08.2008 at 04:57AM PDT, ID: 21523896
Hi, thanks for your responses, they are a company who know our network well and have been extremely good in the past, but I understand that making sure post-change that things are working is important so accept the quote as fair.

They have mentioned that it is not best practice to install on an Exchange box and that they would recommend a dedicated server for this purpose but to justify this to my boss (who is non-IT) would prove difficult until something does actually go wrong. He has little concept of contingency, so <B>what consequences would arise from not having a secondary DC should the main DC fail?</B>

I'm sorry if this seems an obvious question to some but as I don't support multiple sites, this kind of project doesn't come around very often so I have to learn as I go along.
 
05.08.2008 at 05:27AM PDT, ID: 21524032

Rank: Genius

Everything AD related, including the Exchange server, will come to a grinding halt, and so will any other services offered by this machine (File, DHCP, ...?).
If this other company knows your network well, you might want to talk to them first about what would happen when a system in your network failed, and what methods (failover redundancy, standby hardware, support contract with guaranteed answer time, restore from backup, re-install manually, buy new hardware, ignore, ...) would have to be taken to fix the situation.
 
05.08.2008 at 05:31AM PDT, ID: 21524054
Thank you for all your guidance, much appreciated!
 
 
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