Active Directory Cookbook

3.5. Troubleshooting Domain Controller Promotion or Demotion Problems

Problem

You are having problems promoting or demoting a domain controller and you want to troubleshoot it.

Solution

The best source of information about the status of promotion or demotion problems is the Dcpromo.log and Dcpromoui.log files contained in the %SystemRoot%\Debug folder on the server. The Dcpromo.log captures the input entered during dcpromo and logs the information that is displayed as dcpromo progresses. The Dcpromoui.log file is much more detailed and captures discrete actions that occur during dcpromo processing, including any user input.

Additionally, the Windows Server 2003 version of dcdiag contains two new tests that can aid in troubleshooting promotion problems. The dcpromo test reports anything it finds that could impede the promotion process. The RegisterInDNS test checks if the server can register records in DNS. Here is an example of running both commands to test against the rallencorp.com domain:

> dcdiag /test:dcpromo /DnsDomain:rallencorp.com /ReplicaDC /test:RegisterInDNS

Discussion

In most cases, the level of detail provided by Dcpromoui.log should be sufficient to pinpoint any problems, but you can increase logging if necessary. To enable the highest level of logging available, set the following registry value to FF0003: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdminDebug. You can confirm that this mask took effect by running dcpromo again, checking the Dcpromoui.log, and searching ...