Forcing Replication for Read-Only Domain Controllers | Delinea (2024)

FAQs

Forcing Replication for Read-Only Domain Controllers | Delinea? ›

To force replication after updating a zone: Click Start > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Sites and Services. Expand Sites, then select the Active Directory site that contains the connection over which you want to replicate directory information. For example, select Default-First-Site-Name.

To force Active Directory replication run the command 'repadmin /syncall /AeD' on the domain controller. Run this command on the domain controller in which you wish to update the Active Directory database. For example, if DC2 is out of Sync, run the command on DC2.

An RODC is designed primarily to be deployed in a branch office because branch offices often have relatively few users, poor physical security, relatively poor network bandwidth to a hub site, and limited local IT resources. The following table describes the features of RODCs.

Enhanced Physical Security:

The read-only nature of RODCs makes them suitable for deployment in physically vulnerable locations. Whether it's a server room in a branch office or a data center with limited security controls, RODCs help fortify the infrastructure against unauthorized access.

Type the command: gpupdate /force and press Enter. The command will initiate a forced Group Policy update, applying all policies without waiting for the next scheduled refresh.

Intra-site replication: With the exception of critical directory updates that are replicated immediately, the source DC updates changes to its closest replication partner every 15 seconds. Inter-site replication: By default, the replication interval is 180 minutes and can be adjusted to be as low as 15 minutes.

Except for account passwords, an RODC holds all the Active Directory objects and attributes that a writable domain controller holds. However, changes can't be made to the database that is stored on the RODC. Changes must be made on a writable domain controller and then replicated back to the RODC.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind in regards to the importance of replication when using a RODC: firstly without contact with a writable domain controller the RODC, cannot update itself and will start to cause issues such as password changes, group policy updates, and authenticating new users to the domain ...

As was the case with Windows NT backup domain controllers, read-only domain controllers cannot be updated directly. They only receive updates from a writable DC. Read-only domain controllers are ideal for branch offices because the Active Directory database is resistant to tinkering.

Can you join a computer to a read-only domain controller? ›

Joining computers to a domain using only a read-only domain controller is a bit of a complicated process. This usually comes up because you have a server in a DMZ or behind a perimter firewall with no access to a RWDC (read-write domain controller).

Read-only domain controllers (RODCs) can be promoted successfully to global catalog server status. However, certain directory-enabled applications cannot support an RODC as a global catalog server.

However, the global catalog server also holds a read-only replica of every domain naming context in the forest. Thus, a domain controller only knows about the objects in its domain, while a global catalog server knows about objects in its domain and every other domain.

There is no conversion between a full (read/write DC–RWDC) and a RODC. The DC type is set during the DCPROMO process. To switch between RWDC and RODC modes, you need to DCPROMO the DC down to a member server, then promote it, selecting the new desired DC type.

Open the Local Users and Groups tool and navigate to the Groups tab. Select the Windows Admin Center Readers group. In the Details pane at the bottom, select Add User and enter the name of a user or security group that should have read-only access to the server through Windows Admin Center.

When you get a list of domain controllers using the AD module, one of the properties each DC has is the IsReadOnly property. When IsReadOnly is set to $true, the domain controller is a read-only domain controller.

Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories, and click Command Prompt. Type in w32tm /resync, and press ENTER (this will synchronize the time to your domain controller).

When a domain controller writes a change to its local copy of the Active Directory, a timer is started that determines when the domain controller's replication partners should be notified of the change. By default, this interval is 15 seconds in Windows Server 2003 and later versions.

General approach to fixing problems

If software might be causing the problem, uninstall the software before you continue with other solutions. If the problem that is causing replication to fail can't be resolved by any known methods, remove AD DS from the server and then reinstall AD DS.