Promoting and demoting w2k servers in AD

[MadGutts]

Hello All..

I'm having some issues with 2x 2k servers. They both have AD installed, but i need to demote one of the servers so i can remove it and reconfigure it. The problem is how do i get the server to replicate manually? since the 2 servers have been in AD they have have various sync problems. So now i need to have only 1 running the AD and the other as a member server.

I also need to move the DHCP, the DNS and other settings over, but i dont want to loose any account details, and profile settings...

Please help !

Thanks ppl

Edit:

Update...

1 of the AD servers can browse to the other server ok, but the 2nd server cannot browse to the 1st!!! it says: "the target account name is different"

Any one seen ths before????

[morellana]

If they are in the same site they replicate every 15 minutes, but manually you have to go to AD Sites and Services, Select Default first Site, select the server you want to replicate from, select ntds settings and the in the connection object right click and replicate now.

To save the dns config, just integrate every zone into AD, if they are already integrated, just install DNS on the other DC, because it's integrated the zone data will be replicated to the other DC within the AD Replication.

To backup the DHCP there are two methods:

1. Save this Key in the original server:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\services\DHCPServer

highlight the Configuration key

2. Copy these files DHCP.MDB, DHCP.PAT, j50*.log in \winnt\system32\DHCP and then stop the service in the original server.

3. Install the DHCP Server in the other server, after that stop the service in the dhcp console.

4. Restore the three files (DHCP.MDB, DHCP.PAT, j50*.log) to\winnt\system32\DHCP

5. Insert the registry key you just exported to the registry in the new dhcp server

6. Start the service, authorize the server, Activate the scope if needed, then reconcile it.

Method two:

For me this is an easier and more effective method. the difference between this and the first one is that the first keeps the information about the leases, but if you want to do things quick and fault proof use this.

in the Command prompt in the original server:

netsh dhcp server dump > c:\dchpconfig.txt

copy it to the same path in the new server, stop the old dhcp, authorize the new one, and then in the command line

netsh exec c:\dhcpconfig.txt (to recover all, except active leases)

then refresh de dhcp console. (you can use any name instead of dhcpconfig, but it must be a txt)

Mario