Multihomed PDC and computer browse service

hello, i have a network with 4 servers. The PDC is multihomed, so this
doesn't seem to work for the computer browser service. This pdc is multhomed
for redundancy reasons.
Is it possible to promote one of the other servers, which are now backup
servers i assume, to domain master browse server?
Could it be possible to exclude my PDC from entering the browser elections?

Thx in advance.
Johan.

The PDC in NT 4.0 is the domain master browser
and cannot be changed but in W2k or higher you
can change the PDC emulator role to another DC.

I am curious how the multihomed DC is using two
NICs for redundancy without a third party utility?

"JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:
> hello, i have a network with 4 servers. The PDC is multihomed, so this
> doesn't seem to work for the computer browser service. This pdc is
> multhomed
> for redundancy reasons.
> Is it possible to promote one of the other servers, which are now backup
> servers i assume, to domain master browse server?
> Could it be possible to exclude my PDC from entering the browser
> elections?
>
> Thx in advance.
> Johan.

There is nothing about multi-homing a DC that creates "redundency".

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com

"JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:A33375DB-F499-418E-84D5-(E-Mail Removed)...
> hello, i have a network with 4 servers. The PDC is multihomed, so this
> doesn't seem to work for the computer browser service. This pdc is
multhomed
> for redundancy reasons.
> Is it possible to promote one of the other servers, which are now backup
> servers i assume, to domain master browse server?
> Could it be possible to exclude my PDC from entering the browser
elections?
>
> Thx in advance.
> Johan.

Sorry, forgot tho address the original question...

"JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:A33375DB-F499-418E-84D5-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Is it possible to promote one of the other servers, which are now backup
> servers i assume, to domain master browse server?

No.

> Could it be possible to exclude my PDC from entering the browser
elections?

No.

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com

Just to add my two cents worth. Multihoming a PDC was bad news in NT and
it still is a bad idea to multihome the DC with this role in W2k/W2k3 (and
not only because of the browsing problem).

Do yourself a favour and leave the PDC role on a single homed machine.
No second NIC, no remote access server.

JohanW wrote:
> hello, i have a network with 4 servers. The PDC is multihomed, so this
> doesn't seem to work for the computer browser service. This pdc is
> multhomed for redundancy reasons.
> Is it possible to promote one of the other servers, which are now
> backup servers i assume, to domain master browse server?
> Could it be possible to exclude my PDC from entering the browser
> elections?
>
> Thx in advance.
> Johan.

Thx for the replies.

Why did we put 2 nics in 1 machine? If one nic would fail the other would
still be available (set 2 different dns server addresses in the client
computers). Ok so maybe redundancy is a big word for this But we wanted to
be sure that all devices that could fail, would have a backup.
Everything seems to be working fine except for the browsing service. Is it
vital for the network that this browsing service is up and running? All our
servers are 2003, all clients are xp. Could it be a solution to just disable
one nic ?

Ok, I'm thinking about promoting another server to pdc. Is it important that
all the servers on the domain are singlehomed or just the pdc? How can i best
perform this promotion ? Has this implications for other applications
(exchange, cluster, ...) ?

Thx.

"JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:BFBB53AA-8A4D-43DE-BC7D-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Thx for the replies.
>
> Why did we put 2 nics in 1 machine? If one nic would fail the other would
> still be available (set 2 different dns server addresses in the client
> computers).

It doesn't work like that.

Ok so maybe redundancy is a big word for this But we wanted to
> be sure that all devices that could fail, would have a backup.

A backup Nic is a Nic sitting in the pacakging on a shelf that is the
identical model of the one you are now using. If a Nic fail you pull the one
off the shelf and replace the bad one in the machine.

> Everything seems to be working fine except for the browsing service. Is it
> vital for the network that this browsing service is up and running? All
our
> servers are 2003, all clients are xp. Could it be a solution to just
disable
> one nic ?

Disabling will server as a little bit of a workaround,...but the machine
will always know that it is not the same nic as the other one.

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com

Except for SBS, no DC should be multihomed.

In fact no Server at all should be multi-homed unless it is used as a Router
or Firewall/Proxy.

Nic Teaming uses two Nics but it is *not* "multi-homed,...it is still single
homed. the name "home" refers to a subnet,...multi-homed means it lives
in,..has its "home" in more than one subnet.

Two Nics in the same subnet (without Nic Teaming) is just simply a
misconfigured server. Nic Teaming requires special Nics designed to do this
and comes with speacial software to make it work.

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com


"JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:B47F3105-0CBE-4F04-A045-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Ok, I'm thinking about promoting another server to pdc. Is it important
that
> all the servers on the domain are singlehomed or just the pdc? How can i
best
> perform this promotion ? Has this implications for other applications
> (exchange, cluster, ...) ?
>
> Thx.

First i would like to thank you for all the answers. I had never heard of
"nic teaming", but i think that's exactly what we want to achieve !!

Many Thx.

Johan


"Phillip Windell" wrote:

>
> "JohanW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:BFBB53AA-8A4D-43DE-BC7D-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Thx for the replies.
> >
> > Why did we put 2 nics in 1 machine? If one nic would fail the other would
> > still be available (set 2 different dns server addresses in the client
> > computers).
>
> It doesn't work like that.
>
> Ok so maybe redundancy is a big word for this But we wanted to
> > be sure that all devices that could fail, would have a backup.
>
> A backup Nic is a Nic sitting in the pacakging on a shelf that is the
> identical model of the one you are now using. If a Nic fail you pull the one
> off the shelf and replace the bad one in the machine.
>
> > Everything seems to be working fine except for the browsing service. Is it
> > vital for the network that this browsing service is up and running? All
> our
> > servers are 2003, all clients are xp. Could it be a solution to just
> disable
> > one nic ?
>
> Disabling will server as a little bit of a workaround,...but the machine
> will always know that it is not the same nic as the other one.
>
> --
>
> Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
> www.wandtv.com
>
>
>