Last week I worked on a site that lacked the speed to promote a domain controller. Connectivity was consistent but there was a cable modem in place with speeds of 128k. Some of the IT team suggested that I drive down to Chicago that has better speed, promote the server and replicate active directory, and then run it back to the original site. As driving down the street seemed like a fun way burn time and get out of the office, it really wasn't the most technologically correct [TC] way to solve the problem. Racking my brain to answer one of those MCSE questions that I thought I'd never get in real life, I came up with this solution.

It involves backing up active directory on another domain contoller, copying the file to the local server you're trying to promote, and running the "dcpromo /adv" command to use the restored files as the basis of the replication. This won't work if you completely do not have any connectivity, but if you're having a problem with timeouts during the first replication during the dcpromo then this is for you.

Backup and Restore the System State of a Global Catalog

1. Log on to a remote domain controller [must be a global catalog]
2. Using ntbackup, perform a local backup of the system state.
3. Copy the .bkf file to the the local server that you are trying to promote to be a domain controllerOn the target server, open ntbackup, click on the "Restore and Manage Media" tab
4. Open the recently transferred .bkf file so that it can be inventoried
5. At the bottom left under "Restore Files to" choose "Alternate location" and choose a temporary place to restore the files on the system's hard drive like C:\NTDSrestore and then click "Start Restore"

Advanced DCPROMO

1. After the files are restored, type "dcpromo /adv" from the run prompt
2. Click Next to bypass the Welcome to the Active Directory Installation Wizard and Operating System Compatibility dialog boxes.
3. On the Domain Controller Type page, click Additional domain controller for an existing domain, and then click Next.
4. On the Copying Domain Information page, click From these restored backup files:, and then type the logical drive and the path of the alternative location where the system state backup was restored. Click Next.
5. In Network Credentials, type the user name, the password, and the domain name of an account that is a member of the domain administrators group for the domain that you are promoting in.
6. Continue with the remainder of the Active Directory Installation Wizard pages as you would with the standard promotion of an additional domain controller.
7. After the SYSVOL tree has replicated in, and the SYSVOL share exists, delete any remaining restored system files and folders.

External Links

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311078 - The microsoft KB article about this subject