We have an aging directory service deployment that began with Server 2003 and was upgrade to Server 2008 R2. A while back I remember trying to add a new 2008 R2 domain controller and it gave me some error. We have 5 domain controllers at 5 offices, all the major 5 roles are installed at the main office. Now I NEED to replace these servers with new 2012 R2 servers that are joined to the domain and ready to role.
And the error hath returned...
(And first off, I have raised domain functionality to 2008 level via sites/domains MMC, and prepped it years ago when I upgraded to 2008. It seems I have a really awful domain corruption issue of some kind, and I suspect the underlying DFS share for AD (sysvol) is possibly part of the problem.
I am tempting to start a new domain, but I dont want to change 60+ desktops over and have all those users hate me as they will not have every single profile setting copied over (like their outlook databases that will need redownloaded, and their CAD settings that dont seem to copy with my hacker style profile migration process)
So, can anyone suggest some troubleshooting tips, or is their a way to backup and restore the AD database to the new server and tell the old servers to go away? Back in the SBS days we use to do something called a swing migration, but I dont think it will fit this situation easily.
Troubleshooting steps and all advise is welcome!
Thanks,
Andy