Lesson 7: Maintaining Server Settings

To meet changing business needs, you may need to update server settings for a site. This lesson examines some tasks for updating server settings to meet the changing needs of your organization. The tasks include creating a server object in a site, moving a server object between sites, enabling or disabling a global catalog, and removing an inoperative server object from a site.

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After this lesson, you will be able to

• Maintain server settings for a site

Estimated lesson time: 10 minutes

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Maintaining Server Settings

As a site changes and grows based on business needs, you may find it necessary to meet these changing needs by updating server settings for the site. The tasks you may need to perform to maintain server settings are

• Creating a server object in a site
• Moving a server object between sites
• Enabling or disabling a global catalog
• Removing an inoperative server object from a site

Creating a Server Object in a Site

This procedure can be used to create member servers and domain controllers in a site. Creating a server object is not the same as installing a domain controller using the Active Directory Installation Wizard.

Follow these steps to create a server object in a site:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites And Services.
2. In the Active Directory Sites And Services console tree, double-click the site that you want to contain the new domain controller server object.
3. Right-click the Servers folder, point to New, and then click Server.
4. On the New Object-Server dialog box, enter the name for the new server object in the Name box, and then click OK.

Moving Server Objects Between Sites

The following procedure can be used to move member servers and domain controllers between sites.

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites And Services.
2. In the Active Directory Sites And Services console tree, right-click the server object that you want to move to a different site, and then click Move.
3. In the Move Server dialog box, click the site to which you want to move the server object, and then click OK.

Enabling or Disabling a Global Catalog

Clients must have access to a global catalog to log on, so you should have at least one global catalog in every site to receive the benefits of containing network traffic provided by using sites.

Follow these steps to enable or disable a global catalog:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites And Services.
2. In the Active Directory Sites And Services console tree, double-click the domain controller hosting the global catalog.
3. Right-click NTDS Settings, and then click Properties.
4. Do one of the following:
   • To enable a global catalog, select the Global Catalog check box, and then click OK.
   • To disable a global catalog, clear the Global Catalog check box, and then click OK.

Removing an Inoperative Server Object from a Site

Use the following procedure only if you want to permanently remove a server object from a site. If you plan to reactivate the server, delete the NTDS Settings object for the server, rather than the server object itself. When you bring the server back online, Active Directory automatically creates a new NTDS Settings object, inserting the server into the replication topology as appropriate.

Follow these steps to remove an inoperative server object from a site:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites And Services.
2. In the Acive Directory Sites And Services console tree, right-click the server object to be removed, and then click Delete.
3. On the Active Directory message box, click Yes.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson you learned the various tasks to perform to maintain and update server settings as the needs of your organization change. The tasks included: creating a server object in a site, moving a server object between sites, enabling or disabling a global catalog, and removing an inoperative server object from a site.