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Questions tagged [domain-controller]

A domain controller is a server in a Microsoft Active Directory or NT4 domain that is responsible for central authentication.

In Microsoft Active Directory and NT4 domains, a domain controller is the central repository for all of the user account authorization information. It allows a person to sign on once and be allowed access to many different resources.

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What should the order of DNS servers be for an AD Domain Controller and Why?

This is a Canonical Question about Active Directory DNS Settings. Related: What is Active Directory Domain Services and how does it work? Assuming an environment with multiple domain controllers (assume that they all run DNS as well): in what…
MDMarra
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Domain Controller thinks its on a Public Network

We have a Server 2008 R2 Primary Domain Controller that seems to have amnesia when it comes to working out what kind of network it is on. The (only) network connection is identified at startup as a 'Public Network'. Yet, if I disable and then…
Matt Renner
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Is it best practices to have separate login for a domain for domain admins?

I typically like to set up separate logins for myself, one with regular user permissions, and a separate one for administrative tasks. For example, if the domain was XXXX, I'd set up a XXXX\bpeikes and a XXXX\adminbp account. I've always done it…
Benjamin Peikes
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What causes a workstation to lose trust with the domain controller?

I've received the error several times on Windows 7 Workstations and Laptops where it loses trust with the domain controller, and I know how to fix it, but why does it do that?
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"Peaky" CPU Usage on Domain Controllers

We have two Windows Server 2008 SP2 (sadly not 2008 R2) Domain Controllers in a small 150 client domain that are exhibiting very "peaky" CPU usage. The Domain Controllers both exhibit the same behavior and are hosted on vSphere 5.5.0, 1331820. Every…
user62491
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Domain Admins vs. Administrators in Windows AD DC

Having read in the Microsoft Docs article Default groups the description of these two groups: Domain Admins Members of this group have full control of the domain. By default, this group is a member of the Administrators group on all domain…
Gennady Vanin Геннадий Ванин
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Moving primary domain controller to new server

I have just purchased a new server that will be the new primary domain controller. I was wondering if anyone knew any articles or tutorials on how to do this change over? I would imagine it is just simply setting up the role and importing a backup…
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What needs to be done after a Domain Controller crash?

Assuming that at least two domain controllers were present in the domain to start with, what steps need to be taken to make Active Directory healthy after a domain controller crash?
Nic
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What's a read-only domain controller actually useful for?

Windows Server 2008 introduced read-only domain controllers, which receive a full replica of the domain database but can't modify it, just like a good old Windows NT BDC. I know all the technical ins and outs of how to run those semi-DCs (I just…
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How can I verify AD replication between two DCs works

We have a domain with 3 DCs in different networks and we want to decomission one of them. However, I suspect that the two remaining DCs will not replicate properly between each other due to some network misconfiguration. So I want to ensure that,…
Oliver Salzburg
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Is there any difference between Domain controller and Active directory?

If I want to define domain controller then i would say DC is where active directory installed or Acitve Directory simply means: Secure centralized authentication and management and domain controller = ADDS + DNS. But I get confused when i read here…
d a i s y
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What is a domain controller, when is it needed, and how to set it up?

I would like to know what do we mean by Domain controller and how do we make a system a Domain Controller and when do we have to make a system a DC?
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How bad is it to run Exchange 2016 on a Windows 2012 R2 domain controller for a small organization with assuredly fewer than 25 users?

I know that it has been officially unsupported forever and yet I have seen or heard about many small business installations of a single host running AD DS and Exchange simultaneously. For a resource-strapped small business the savings are…
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Encrypting SMB traffic with Samba

We use Samba on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS as a PDC (primary domain controller) with roaming profiles. Everything works fine, except for if we try to enforce encryption via setting: server signing = mandatory smb encrypt = mandatory in the [global]…
Kai Petzke
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Why can I login to a box even if the AD Domain controller is down?

Scenario: While my DC is running, I log into an arbitrary machine. I stop the DC I log off the arbitrary machine. Let's bounce it for good measure, too. When the machine comes back up, I can still login with my domain credentials even though DC…
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