Hi I have a PDC with win 2K server AD and also a second domain controller in the same forest which is being replicated with the PDC and works fine. But at times when my PDC is sick,if i want to switch over to my 2nd domain controller, When i change the DNS ip in client desktop in tcpip settings, the clients are not taking the 2nd domain controller directly after a reboot. Every desktop, i need to remove it from the domain and then readd it to the same domain with the 2nd DC and then only it accepts the logins. Why is this happening? I wish that once i change the DNS ip in the client desktop, it should login immediately without readding it. Any configuration is missing in my 2nd domain controller? please advice.. regards Sundaresan.C

I have a PDC with win 2K server AD No you don't. You have a DC (domain controller). A "PDC" is NT 4.0 or earlier nomenclature and is not a valid concept in an Active Directory environment. Your most obvious problem is a lack of knowledge of 2000 and Active Directory. I don't mean to be rude but, before attempting to administer a Windows based domain, you should first know what you're doing. Might I suggest you get some good books and/or training. It would go a long way toward improving your skills and abilities. In a nutshell, your clients can't authenticate to the secondary DC because you haven't made it redundant. I highly recommend you go and do some reading/research on MS's web site (or better yet, get some training and/or a good 2000 Active Directory book or two) on creating a redundant DC within an Active Directory environment.

Ok, I'm confused. If you added a second domain controller - assuming you've added it correctly and the two DC are replicating with each other, you don't need to do much more. I'll also assume that both DC are running DNS and DNS is AD Integrated. On the client machines, make DC1 the Preferred DNS server and make DC2 the Alternate DNS server and you are done. The system will determine which DNS server to use. I amazes me that after 7 or 8 years of Active Directory being around, people still hang on to this PDC / BDC stuff. I'll bet most of the people who are regurgitating this stuff have never even managed an NT4 domain either. Where are they getting this information. Curt is right - get some training or at least do some reading. In the meantime if you have two DCs and things are set up correctly, you will have to do nothing if one of the DCs is down. That is the whole idea.