I recently found out that my summer intern, who had access to our DNS settings, has renamed our Domain Controller (DC) from my original domain name to another one—now it's connected to redacted.local instead of redacted.com. I'm really in a bind here because it looks like the DC got demoted from our original domain. What's the best way to reconnect the DC back to its original domain? Or have I lost it completely? This DC was the only one we had.
5 Answers
Honestly, it blows my mind that you let an intern have domain admin access without supervision. This seems like more of an admin mistake than anything the intern did. Before worrying about reconnecting the DC, make sure you have backups available. You might need them.
Exactly! An intern should definitely not have that kind of access... but hopefully, things can be salvaged.
It's surprising how many places operate with just one DC, but if that DC is down, you're in trouble. Consider implementing a solid DR plan after resolving this issue!
Exactly. Having just one DC can really put you at risk. Look into creating a more robust system moving forward.
Yeah, backups and having another DC would have made this situation a lot easier.
Having only one Domain Controller is risky in itself. You should really consider setting up a new DC to ensure redundancy. For now, your best option might be to restore from the last backup, if that's still possible.
Yes, restoring from a backup should be your first move. Make sure you also set up a second DC once this is sorted out.
Definitely! A second DC is crucial for stability — can't afford to have all your eggs in one basket!
If you have absolutely no way of restoring the DC to its previous state, your next move might be to create a new domain and migrate the users over. This can be tedious but might be the only solution available if backups are non-existent.
That's a solid plan if nothing else works! It's not ideal, but sometimes you just have to start fresh.
It might take some time, but starting anew ensures a clean slate without leftover issues.
It doesn't sound like you can just reconnect it if this was the only DC. If it got demoted and you didn't have any backups, your old domain is likely gone for good. I'd recommend checking your Azure setup for user accounts and possibly looking for professional help if you're stuck.
I agree, professional help might be the best bet here. Trying to fix this solo could cause even more issues.
You should also double-check your AD structure. The .local domain might have been added incorrectly, so it’s worth investigating.
Right? It's a huge risk to give that level of access to someone without experience. I hope you had a backup to restore from!