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W2K Server at Remote Site

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by bash3r

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Here's my current setup, our central office in St. Louis, MO. with 4 w2k domain controllers, dc1 handles DNS & Exchange 2k. We have a VPN tunnel to our Atlanta office and what I would like to do is setup another w2k server in our Atlanta office, the main purpose would be so Atlanta users can use our internal DNS records for intranet purposes. Also set up a local file/print server in Atlanta that will authenticate using the same accounts on our St. Louis domain controller. Is it just a matter of creating another domain controller in the domain or do i need to setup a child domain like atl.domainname.com? This is were I'm lost. Thanks

10 replies

by d_v ant

You can just set up another DC at the Atlanta office. We have DCs spread all over the world, all of them are in one Domain. The main consideration you will have is replicating AD. You will want to schedule it at a time when it will not affect users by taking away all of the bandwidth between the sites.

by timwalsh

To complete Answer 1:

Since DNS is your primary concern for your Atlanta office, make sure you install DNS on the Atlanta DC. As long as the your primary DNS server is set up in the Active Directory-integrated mode, all DCs that have DNS installed will have the DNS database replicated to them.

by joseph moore

From the sounds of it, your network could handle being set up either way, with a child domain or not.
My question to you is: is your Atlanta NT domain a separate domain from your St Louis Win2K domain?
The answer is yes.
Then, why not set up Atlanta as a child domain?
You could upgrade the Atlanta PDC to Win2k. During the upgrade, the Atlanta PDC will be upgraded to an Active Directory domain controller.
Since the NT user account database in Atlanta is its own separate entity (different from St. Louis), then I suggst you set it up as a child domain.
If Atlanta was just another leg (its own Site in AD) of your St Louis domain, then replication traffic between the two will be heavy. If Atlanta were a child of St. Louis, then replication will be light.
Plus, your St Louis users would still be able to log in with their St Louis account in Atlanta.

You can upgrade an existing NT domain into a child domain in Win2K with AD. That is not a problem.
Plus, it makes users and computer memberships a little cleaner, with the Atlanta users and computers in the ATL.DOMAIN.COM domain, while your St Louis users and computers are in DOMAIN.COM

by joseph moore

So, either way will work. It really depends on how cleanly you want the AD forest to look, and in my opinion, a separate child domain for the Atlanta office is better.
That is how my company let me design it to be. Child domains for all cities. I was able to set up a root domain that does not have any user accounts in it. My office (the main IT office) has the root domain AND its own child domain off this root. That is the best way of doing this, but that is not an available option for your setup. So, just go with child domain.

my 2 cents

by bash3r

Your answers are much apreciated, the next question is, IF the Atlanta server is a child domain, how does DNS replication work? And what will I need to do to the St. Louis DC to replicate with Atlanta. Also, I'd like to test this configuration in alab setting so I'd have to keep the child domain and root domain on separate subnets correct? This will eliminate DNS conflicts...

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