I'm in the process of replacing a Domain Controller (DC) and I've run into some issues after attempting a quick swap. Here's what I've done so far: I added the new server to the domain, installed Active Directory (AD) services alongside DNS services, and set its IP to match the current secondary domain controller's (SDC) IP. After verifying DNS replication, I powered down the old SDC and changed the new server's IP to what the old SDC had. However, this led to random failures, so I reverted the new SDC back to its original IP, turned the old SDC back on, and the network picked up again just fine. The catch is that some PCs can connect and resolve DNS, while others can't—it's all over the place with both automatic and static DNS assignments. I feel like there's something crucial I'm missing here. Any thoughts?
3 Answers
Was the old DC holding any FSMO roles? If it was, that could definitely complicate the replacement process.
Looks like you might have skipped a few important steps! Did you promote the new DC? Have you checked replication on both DCs, and did you run tools like 'repadmin' and 'dcdiag'? Also, don’t forget about transferring the FSMO roles—that's a crucial step! You should ideally have at least two secondary DCs for redundancy.
Did you remember to update the DNS settings in your DHCP options? That could be affecting your network connectivity.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the DHCP options?
Absolutely, missing those steps can cause major issues!