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Creating a Wide Area Network
I current have a Window 2003 Active Directory Server (AGI.local) at the Corporate Office with an IP class of 10.0.1.x and submask of 255.255.255.0. We have several branches with Window 2003 Server and different IP class of 10.xx.xx.xx and submask of 255.255.255.0. Each of these branches has a permanent tunnel to the Corporate Office. As is, is it possible to join these branch offices to the AGI.Local domain as "Additional domain controllers".
Keith Alabaster
Absolutely. In Active Directory Sites you can add Sites & subnets etc, place Domain Controllers into these sites and give each Site a cost value for data replivcation, traffic control etc. Be careful with existing DC's etc if they are not part of your existing domain but have the same netbios names and such like but yes, this is bread & butter stuff for 2003.
ASKER
Thanks Keith,
But my dilemma is I do have a Sites and Subnet setup in Active Directory on the Domain Controller, but the problem is when I do dcpromo /adv on the Branch Server, I get to the Network Credentials screen, key in the User name and Password -- it automatically picks up the domain from the AD backup files. Once I press next I would get the error “An Active Directory domain controller for the domain agi.local could not be contacted – Ensure the DNS domain name is typed correctly”.
My concern is, should the subnet mask be 10.0.0.0 throughout the network for the branches to find the domain (AGI.local) they are joining?
Example of the current setup is Corporate is where the AGI.local domain reside with a Class A IP of 10.0.1.X sub mask 255.255.255.0 and the branch I’m currently trying to join has a Class A IP of 10.99.1.x sub mask 255.255.255.0.
One of the DNS in the Local Area Connection of the Branch Machine is pointing to Branch Machine DNS and the other to the Domain Controller DNS (which it cannot access because it does not have access rights). Is the SubNet mask causing the problem?
But my dilemma is I do have a Sites and Subnet setup in Active Directory on the Domain Controller, but the problem is when I do dcpromo /adv on the Branch Server, I get to the Network Credentials screen, key in the User name and Password -- it automatically picks up the domain from the AD backup files. Once I press next I would get the error “An Active Directory domain controller for the domain agi.local could not be contacted – Ensure the DNS domain name is typed correctly”.
My concern is, should the subnet mask be 10.0.0.0 throughout the network for the branches to find the domain (AGI.local) they are joining?
Example of the current setup is Corporate is where the AGI.local domain reside with a Class A IP of 10.0.1.X sub mask 255.255.255.0 and the branch I’m currently trying to join has a Class A IP of 10.99.1.x sub mask 255.255.255.0.
One of the DNS in the Local Area Connection of the Branch Machine is pointing to Branch Machine DNS and the other to the Domain Controller DNS (which it cannot access because it does not have access rights). Is the SubNet mask causing the problem?
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ASKER
Thanks Keith, it was the forwarders -- they were pointing to the Branches' ISP DNS.
Excellent. All sorted then?
Thank you :)