Server Migration - Any ideas?

[agallag]

MS says that DFS is not supposed to be used for data that may be edited by multiple people at once. It's more for things like software distribution points. If two people are editing the same document, whoever saves last wins.

If it's a live file share that multiple people write to, you should be using a single server with good backups (and volume shadow copy if you're on W2K3). For high availability you have to go to clustering.

[High_Jumbllama]

Aahh. Me understand. I will just adjust my strategy then.

Edit:
Must have DNS on both. The backup controller will just use forwarders to the Primary one first and then the ISPs servers.
DHCP if possible perhaps with different ranges. All workstations currently have static addresses anyways though perhaps if both machines had the same xact reserved addresses? Hmmm.
I could use DFS with one set of links to replicate and another set pointed to just one at a time for everyones use. I wonder if it will allow two links to the same folder? Hmmm
Since printers work off the server, set them up on both servers and pool the ports so it still works no matter which goes down. Hmmm. Time for some fun tomorrow.

[agallag]

DNS: Both should be running your internal DNS zone as an AD Integrated zone. No primary or secondary required. Forward both servers to your ISP.

DHCP: Split the scope between the two servers. Make sure there are enough IPs in the pool of each server to cover all the clients. That way, both can be active at all times, and if one goes down, the other will still be able to serve addresses to everybody. If you have reserved addresses, yes, you should reserve them on both servers. There's some good info in the help file for this.

DFS: That's a good idea. Use DFS/FRS to keep stuff in sync and for your managing activities, but only give users the link to the primary server. If the primary goes down, you could push out a new drive mapping to the backup with a logon script or something.

Printers: That should work too.

[High_Jumbllama]

All seems fine at the moment except for the SYSVOL and NetLogon folders. They are not replicating. Netlogon does not even exist on the second domain controller.

[agallag]

All seems fine at the moment except for the SYSVOL and NetLogon folders. They are not replicating. Netlogon does not even exist on the second domain controller.

That's, uh, bad.

Is the file replication service running?

Is regular domain replication working? (run replmon from the support tools pack on the cd to check)

Any other weird errors in the event viewer?

[High_Jumbllama]

Event ID 13565:

File Replication Service is initializing the system volume with data from another domain controller. Computer SECONDARY cannot become a domain controller until this process is complete. The system volume will then be shared as SYSVOL.

To check for the SYSVOL share, at the command prompt, type:
net share

When File Replication Service completes the initialization process, the SYSVOL share will appear.

The initialization of the system volume can take some time. The time is dependent on the amount of data in the system volume, the availability of other domain controllers, and the replication interval between domain controllers.

This was after restarting FRS on both system after setting the burflag registry entries on both controllers to make \\primary the authoritative one and \\secondary to be non-authoritative for the sysvol folder.

I am going to end up using KB315457 soon to attempt to fix this.

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Woohoo. It seems to be fixing it now. After the registry plinking, it just took a few mniutes for the FRS to kick in.

Now let's see if the shares themselves appear.

[High_Jumbllama]

Woohoo! Both NetLogon and SYSVOL appeared.

[agallag]

Good work, and welcome to the crazy world of Active Directory.

[High_Jumbllama]

Ahhh some good ole fashion registry plinking. There's nothing more satisfying than fixing a missing/screwed up setting. I think I'll lower my DX settings at home to get some old games to work.

**Hmmm. Good times. . . . . . . . . . Good times.**