Windows Tips & Tricks UPDATE--August 25, 2003

Windows Tips & Tricks UPDATE, August 25, 2003, —brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network and the Windows 2000 FAQ site
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1. Commentary

2. FAQs

Q. How can I remove the Windows 2000 or later Recovery Console (RC)?
Q. What's the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function?
Q. When I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function, how can I back up information from an existing DC to copy to the new DC?
Q. When I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function, how can I restore information from the DC backup?
Q. How can I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function to promote a Windows 2003 server to a DC?
Q. How can I configure an answer file to use with the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function to promote a Windows 2003 server to a DC?

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1. Commentary
by John Savill, FAQ Editor, [email protected]

This week, I explain how to remove the Windows 2000 or later Recovery Console (RC), describe the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function, and tell you how to back up the necessary information to use with this function. I also explain how to restore information needed to use the Windows 2003 DC install-from-media function, how to use this function to promote a Windows 2003 server to a DC, and how to configure an answer file to use with this function.

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2. FAQs

Q. How can I remove the Windows 2000 or later Recovery Console (RC)?

A. To remove a locally installed RC, perform the following steps:

Open Windows Explorer.
Ensure that you can view hidden files (go to Tools, Folder Options; select the View tab; select "Show hidden files and folders"; then clear the "Hide protected operating system files" check box).
Select the root of the partition on which the RC is installed, then delete the Cmdcons folder and the Cmldr file.
Right-click boot.ini on the system partition, select Properties from the context menu, then clear the "Read-only" check box.
Open boot.ini in Notepad.

Remove the line

C:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat="Microsoft Windows 2000 Recovery Console" /cmdcons

Save the boot.ini file, then close it.
Open Windows Explorer, right-click boot.ini again, select Properties from the context menu, then select the "Read-only" check box.

Q. What's the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function?

A. When you add a new DC to an existing domain, the new DC typically receives all Active Directory (AD) content from an existing DC on the network. This process can take some time, especially over slow network connections or on very large domains.

With Windows 2003, you can optionally install a new DC to an existing domain by using a system-state backup of an existing DC from the same domain. (You can't use this method to create new domains, however.) The DC backup can reside on CD-ROM, DVD, or a local disk.

Keep in mind that the DC backup must be within the tombstone lifetime of the domain (typically 60 days) and that some replication with DCs will still take place (i.e., to get updates since the backup was taken and updates to the SYSVOL share content).

Q. When I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function, how can I back up information from an existing DC to copy to the new DC?

A. When you use NTBackup to create a system-state backup of the existing DC information, the DC backup will contain the Active Directory (AD) information for the domain. If you back up the system state from a Global Catalog (GC) server, the new DC that you create from the DC backup can also become a GC. To create the DC backup, perform the following steps:

Start NTBackup (go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then click Backup).
When NTBackup starts, click Next.
Select "Back up files and settings," then click Next.
Select "Let me choose what to back up," then click Next.
Expand My Computer, select System State (as this figure shows), then click Next.
Select a location and a name for the backup, then click Next.
Click Finish to begin creating the DC backup.
After NTBackup finishes creating the backup, click Close.

You'll then have a .bkf file that you can use to create a new DC.

Q. When I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function, how can I restore information from the DC backup?

A. Assuming you've created a .bkf file from a DC in the same domain as the server that you want to promote, perform the following steps:

Log on to the Windows 2003 server that you want to promote to a DC.
Start NTBackup program (go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then click Backup).
When NTBackup starts, click Next.
Select "Restore files and settings," then click Next.
Click Browse, select the backed up file, then click OK.
Select the System State check box, then click Next.
Click Advanced.
Under "Restore files to:," select "Alternate location," specify the new location (e.g., C:\temp\sysstate), then click Next.
Click Next until the final dialog box appears, then click Finish.
Click Close once to complete the restore.

After the restore is complete, you'll see an Active Directory (AD) folder in the restore location. The AD folder contains the ntds.dit file, which is the storage file for the AD content, and a corresponding log file. The only folders you need to promote a DC are the AD and Registry folders.

Q. How can I use the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function to promote a Windows 2003 server to a DC?

A. After you create a system-state backup of an existing DC in the same domain as the server you want to promote and restore that backup to a location accessible to the server (e.g., local hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD) that you're promoting, perform the following steps:

Start Dcpromo in advanced mode--go to Start, Run, then type
```
dcpromo /adv 
```
When the introduction screen appears, click Next.
When the compatibility screen appears, click Next.
Select "Additional domain controller for an existing domain," then click Next.
Select "From these restored backup files" (as this figure shows), browse to the location of the system-state restoration, then click Next.
If the restoration was from a DC that served as a Global Catalog (GC) server, Dcpromo will ask you whether the new DC should be a GC. Make your selection, then click Next.
Enter the name of a domain administrator account in the new DC's domain, then click Next.
Enter the locations in which you want to store the Active Directory (AD) information, then click Next.
Enter a location in which you want to store SYSVOL, then click Next.
Enter a restore mode password in both boxes, then click Next.
On the summary screen, click Next to begin the promotion process.
After the DC promotion is complete, click Finish.
Click Restart Now.

Q. How can I configure an answer file to use with the Windows Server 2003 domain controller (DC) install-from-media function to promote a Windows 2003 server to a DC?

A. To use an answer file when promoting a DC by using the install-from-media function, you must add the following two lines to your answer file:

ReplicateFromMedia=yes
ReplicationSourcePath=c:\NTDSRestore

The second line must contain the path to the location of the DC backup restored files. For example, an answer file might look like

\[Unattended\]
Unattendmode=fullunattended

\[DCINSTALL\]
UserName=
Password=
UserDomain=
DatabasePath=c:\windows\ntds
LogPath=c:\windows\ntds
SYSVOLPath=c:\windows\sysvol
SafeModeAdminPassword=
CriticalReplicationOnly=No
SiteName=
ReplicaOrNewDomain=Replica
ReplicaDomainDNSName=
ReplicationSourceDC=
ReplicateFromMedia=yes
ReplicationSourcePath=c:\NTDSrestore
RebootOnSuccess=yes

To use this answer file, enter the command

dcpromo /adv /answer:

Be aware that if you use an answer file for a second time to perform another unattended installation, the passwords will be blank and you'll be prompted to reenter them. The Dcpromo process removes the passwords from the file each time for security reasons.

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