I am running an AD domain with 4 DCs, at Domain Functional Level "Windows 2003". I have Exchange 2006 (6.5 SP2) running on one of the DCs (which is running Server 2003 R2 SP2). I know I cannot do a domain rename when Exchange is running on a DC. I am thinking the simplest thing to do is demote the DC with Exchange, then do the domain rename. Is this the best way to proceed? Re-installing Exchange on another server seems like the harder way to go. Is this people's experience?
And, can I re-promote the server back to DC status once the domain rename is complete?
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The simple opinion in the Exchange community is that the answer to renaming a domain with Exchange involved is simply this: Don't.
Furthermore DCPROMO on a server with Exchange involved is not supported and will usually kill Exchange. If the domain is renamed then Exchange will usually stop working afterwards.
Simon.
Renaming a domain with Exchange is usually BAD news.
The following article just goes to show the complexity of this operation, and at the end the writer recommends to NOT perform this on a production domain! : http://www.msexchange.org/
No
Tony
@dematzer: DCs do not need to be demoted to rename the domain. I am renaming because our school is changing its domain, and management wants to change the name everywhere.
Based on some further research, looks like the best course of action is uninstall Exchange/rename domain/reinstall Exchange. Bleah.
I am aware that you do not need to demote to change the domain but you were suggesting this which is why I made the point that demoting it you would need to demote all servers.
As the domain will still have exchange in it just because you demote the DC that has exchange on (which is a NO NO) then the Exchange Data will still be in the Active Directory
@bluntTony: "Renaming a domain with Exchange is usually BAD news."
Can you explain why? It is supported functionality by MS. Do you have experiences where this operation has failed?
And technically, the author you cite does not recommend to not perform this set of actions, but he says he cannot recommend it. I would not recommend doing it either. But I have to.
Because of the interdepencies between Exchange/AD, it just makes it more error-prone. I haven't tried this in testing but the general concensus is don't. Plus that fact that your current Exchange server is also a DC make things a little worse again.
By all means, give it a go (that's why I posted the article) - set up a test domain network mirroring your own and go through the steps with rendom and XDR-fixup. Once you're completely happy with the process and any pitfalls, try it for real.
A little googling will yield articles where people say the process is a breeze, but I would err on the side of caution, or at least testing to death first!
Your other option which you may want to consider is to migrate into a new domain using a migration tool such as ADMT: http://www.microsoft.com/d
The rename went very well and was straight-forward, albeit long and tedious. I ended up creating a 2nd Exchange server, moving mailboxes/public folders to it, uninstalling Exchange on the main server, demoting it, reinstall Exchange, move mailboxes/etc back, uninstalling 2nd Exchange server. Then the AD domain rename was trivial. The only issue was with some PCs that didn't change to the new domain due to outdated DNS, but once that was fixed, no problem. MS's docs on domain rename (and with Exchange in the mix) are well-written and complete.
One factor I'm sure played a part in it was I made sure there were no non-trivial errors in any event log. Not having a smoothly-functioning system will likely lead to problems during events like this.
My question was essentially how to deal with Exchange on a DC when doing an AD domain rename, knowing that having the system in that state I cannot proceed with the rename. Partial points for the reminder that I can't just demote the DC. I had to figure out on my own the options: uninstall/reinstall Exchange and restore from backup, or create a 2nd Exchange server to transfer mailboxes/etc to and from during the DC demotion.
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by: cgtyoderPosted on 2009-08-18 at 10:08:19ID: 25125319
Another comment: I have done several domain renames before, but not with Exchange in the mix.