2 Domain Controllers

[aaronearles]

I'm not so big on MS Networking, so I'm hoping someone here can answer my question... Thanks for reading.

I run a server at home, SBS2003. It serves pretty basic functions, file server, remote web workplace, VPN, and some other fun stuff, it's also setup as a PDC for experimentation and learning. On this server I occasionally run a Counter-Strike Source server for LAN games, and possibly 6-10 people over the net (Comcast 768^).

Anyway, the guys at the office and I are having a small LAN Party at the office, so of course I want to bring my server along to host. Problem - I believe, is that we run a PDC at the office too, and I do not want the two to interfere with one another. Will I cause a bunch of problems introducing this PC to our network, and if so, is there a way to temporarly disable the DC function of server 2003 so I can re-enable it when I get home.

Thanks a lot guys, any help is appreciated greatly.

 

[swatbat]

Running 2 domains is not really an issue. The issue is that your small bus server requires that it runs dns. This is what can cause issues. I'll go out on a limb that you have your sbs running dhcp as well. With your work running dhcp this can cause issues. For the most part if you turn off dhcp service on your sbs box it should connect fine at work. If you want a machine to talk with it you just point the dns to it. You can also just access it via ip instead of names. IE the server at work is handing out dhcp and dns. You want to access a share on yours you do \\serverip insted of \\servername. If you do it the second way you don't need to set the dns to it. Make sence?

O yea I should add if it is SBS then it is always the PDC. Thats all the support.

 

[iroc409]

can you just fire up some random desktop with a clean windows xp install and run whatever dediated server for games while at work? or maybe even ghost off an existing not-too-important machine and use it temporarily? personally i'd rather do that than potentially sacrifice the well-being of my server.

that's kinda what i do. i have a second desktop at work that runs any extra crap i need (ghostcast, etc), and also has an install of source dedicated server for certain occasions. works great, but i also have a lot of machines i can use for whatever when i desire.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

The domains shouldn't interfere....what will be collide though..is having 2x DHCP services from different ADs on the same LAN. One will have to be shut down.

The other fun part...is you home on the same exact IP range as the office? You're probably 192.168.x.x at home...is the office the same? Because it's a little bit of work reconfiguring DCs to different IPs. Now SBS...multiply that fun by 10x!

If you do LAN parties a bit...better off building a box Windows server...then stripping her down and killing services 'n stuff to make it run nice and lean. No DCPROMO on a rig meant to a game server. SBS is very.."heavy"...a vanilla server install runs much lighter. Now take a vanilla server install...strip her down..and you'd me amazed as yet again how much lighter it will run...strip that bad boy down to like 75 megs of RAM usage. She'll serve up games a heck of a lot better.