Removing Windows 2003 server from ADS and adding it in again?

SQL does not really care about Active Directory, so you don't have to worry about losing your data.  You should have no problem running dcpromo to remove it as a DC and then adding it back since the server does not contain any FSMO roles.  Depending on how fast your hardware is, I would give it at least 30 to 45 minutes for each dcpromo process because they'll both require reboots.

Do I need to do anything on the FSMO based server besides rebooting it?

You shouldn't even have to reboot the other DC that contains all the FSMO roles.

Ok. What about the DNS entries on the FSMO server, as the FSMO server has DNS installed.

thats fine, dont worry about DNS, if yoru worried, then just remove the host entry for the server that you have just removed

Ok, after doing this I have the following problem

1. On the server that I demoted and promoted I get the following:

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      Userenv
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      1030
Date:            11/27/2006
Time:            5:39:19 PM
User:            NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer:      DB
Description:
Windows cannot query for the list of Group Policy objects. Check the event log for possible messages previously logged by the policy engine that describes the reason for this.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      MSDTC
Event Category:      SVC
Event ID:      53258
Date:            11/27/2006
Time:            5:39:16 PM
User:            N/A
Computer:      DB
Description:
MS DTC could not correctly process a DC Promotion/Demotion event. MS DTC will continue to function and will use the existing security settings. Error Specifics: %1

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Any idea on what is causing these two issues?

Thanks

And now on the non demoted / promoted server I'm getting the following:

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      Userenv
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      1030
Date:            11/27/2006
Time:            6:25:08 PM
User:            NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer:      MAIL
Description:
Windows cannot query for the list of Group Policy objects. Check the event log for possible messages previously logged by the policy engine that describes the reason for this.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

for those errors, there are heaps of possibilites...most DNS   your best bet is eventid.net for a starting point

Ok, using dcpromo it asks me for a new admin password, I put one in and after that dcpromo fails with no more endpoints.

So, I can't remove the server from ADS using dcpromo. Is there another way to remove it from the Active Directory?

Thanks

hmm no more end points....often caused by windows firewall and the RPC service

you can use dcpromo /forceremoval but then you need to follow this link

http://www.petri.co.il/delete_failed_dcs_from_ad.htm

Ok, I tried that and when I used the ntdsutil I got the no more endpoints available.

I eventually got it working thou and now a few services won't start automatically. They will start manually, i.e. if i go into services.msc then click on start the service the services start ok. One of the ones is kerbous distribution. (Which I suspect is needed for ADS?)

Any other idea's?

you need to run that tool from the alive dc..i would rebuilsd the other one

Ok, when I run it from the live dc I get the following error:

DsBindW error 0x6d9(There are no more endpoints available from the endpoint mapper.)

And I can't go beyond this error.

Any idea's?

Thanks

is your RPC service when you run this?

Is RPC running as a service?

Yes...

when I used the ntsdutil utility do I put in the problematic server or the good domain controller?

on the good DC to remove dodgy traces

so both RPC services should be running on the good DC?