Exchange can't connect to Domain Controllers/General Catalog

[PHead2]

Here's the situation:

We have two domain controllers and one exchange server. We lost the domain controller today that was the first controller. Now the Exchange system can't run exchange, usually because of an error that states that the domain controllers in use are not available. I specified the remaining DC as the server the excahnge server should use, and according to the event log it is trying to use that server but it still says it's unavailable.


I've been led to believe that the problem is that there is no Global Catalog on the remaining domain controller, yet all users can still log into their accounts and group policies are still applied (but they can't be changed - the domian controller that controls group polices is 'unavailable'. I made the remaining DC a global catalog server by checking the appropriate box in active directoy sites and services. I suppose that the catalog needs to replicate to the second server and it can't because the original is no longer online.

The first DC is toast, and there was no backup (ironically we had just received the tape unit and software I had ordered when the DC went down).

Is there anyway to restore the catalog on the second server, or add the attributes exchange needs to function?

Anyone know how I can fix this? I'm pretty desperate here...

 

[jgavrish]

I had a similar situation except the email server which was a DC crashed. There are some utilities in the server tools on the W2K program disk that allow you to remove the ghost DC manually. It didn't work for me but when I get in in the morning I'll try to find the info. I originally located it by using the MS knowledgebase using the event ID.

In my case things kept getting worse and worse so I ended up reinstalling everything from scratch.

Good luck and I'll post again

 

[jgavrish]

OK, take a look at MS Knowledge Base Article #216498. This will walk you through removing the ghost DC. NTDSUTIL can be found after installing the server tools off the install CD.

Good Luck!

At least you have the email in tack!

Jimmy

 

[PHead2]

Thanks - I solved the problem by transferring the five operations master roles to the 2nd DC and re-running domainprep function from exchange.