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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
Renaming ___domain controllers
The ability to rename ___domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 provides you with the flexibility to make changes in a Windows Server 2003 ___domain whenever the need arises. Rename a ___domain controller to:
Restructure your network for organizational and business needs.
Make management and administrative control easier.
When you rename a ___domain controller, you must ensure that there will be no interruption in the ability of clients to locate or authenticate to the renamed ___domain controller, except when the ___domain controller is restarted. The recommended practice for renaming a ___domain controller without interruption to clients is to use the Netdom tool. To rename a ___domain controller using the Netdom tool, the ___domain functional level must be set to Windows Server 2003. For more information about renaming a ___domain controller, see Rename a ___domain controller.
The System Properties dialog box can also be used to rename a ___domain controller, and it does not require the functional level to be raised to Windows Server 2003. Using this dialog box may result in a service interruption to clients. For more information about functional levels, see Domain and forest functionality.
The new name of the ___domain controller is automatically updated to Domain Name System (DNS) and Active Directory. Once the new name propagates to DNS and Active Directory, clients are then capable of locating and authenticating to the renamed ___domain controller. DNS and Active Directory replication latency may delay client ability to locate or authenticate to the renamed ___domain controller. The length of time this takes depends on specifics of your network and the replication topology of your particular organization.
During replication latency, clients may not be able to access the newly renamed ___domain controller. This might be acceptable for clients that try to locate and authenticate to a particular ___domain controller since other ___domain controllers should be available to process the authentication request.
Note
The corresponding nTFRSMember or msDFSR-Member object is not renamed automatically, but the reference attributes are correctly set so SYSVOL replication is not impacted. The only potential problem with not renaming these objects is that if another ___domain controller is created at a later date with the same NetBIOS name of the old ___domain controller, then a conflict can occur as described in KB article 316826. After the rename is complete, you can optionally rename the nTFRSMember or msDFSR-Member object as part of cleanup.