So what are the steps or how go I go about starting this process of my remote office pc connecting to the main server? I have my main server in Office 1. Office 2, 3, 4, 5 all need to join the server. This way I can run AD and manage all those client machines. I have set up cisco firewalls in each remote office. Those firewalls have allowed me to establish a vpn connection and pass data back and forth. The main server is Server 2008 r2 Enterprise edition. All the remote offices pc have Xp Pro, Vista Pro or Win 7 Pro. Any help would be great!! Thanks!!

Hello, as I see you have set up VPN connections so all is okay as I see. Just make sure that the client to join points to the internal DNS server as primary one. Once done, use nslookup to check that you are able to solve correclty DNS records and then join the client computer. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration

As long as the network connectivity is there, clients only need to know where the DCs are on the network. This is taken care of by DNS. So, your clients need to point to DNS servers that know about AD. I am assuming that at this time, the only internal DNS server is at the main office, Office1. If this is your main office, you may want to have at least two DCs/DNS servers at this office. This is a best practice. As you bring other offices online, you can then consider the placment of other services (including DCs and DNS servers) at these remote offices. But again, if Office1 hosting your only internal DNS server, you have to start by having the other clients use this for their DNS. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.

Yes I only have one DC and my only DNS is at Office1. TO add another DC/DNS do I simple run the DCPROMO again? If I had abc.com would I make a xyz.com dc be in the forest of abc.com? So for now....assuming my dns is 10.10.10.1. Do I simple input that dns into the network connection and input 10.10.10.1 into the ip4 properties.......Then add that pc to the domain? Thanks for the replies!

TO add another DC/DNS do I simple run the DCPROMO again? If I had abc.com would I make a xyz.com dc be in the forest of abc.com? You don't need to create a new domain. Just add it as an additional domain controller. I suggest that it will be a DC/DNS/GC server. So for now....assuming my dns is 10.10.10.1. Do I simple input that dns into the network connection and input 10.10.10.1 into the ip4 properties.......Then add that pc to the domain? Yes, put it as a primary one. If you want to install DNS service on it then after the promotion of the DC let it point to itself as primary DNS server and to 10.10.10.1 as secondary one. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration

Hello, How many users/workstations do you have in each of the remote offices respectively? I am asking because if they are not that many, you might not need to add too many additional domain controllers. Also, it is recommended to have atleast 2 domaon controllers for redundancy. You can have your users and machines connect to the main office DC. Make them point to the main Office DC for DNS, and then join them to the domain and from your main office you can manage all this objects on the domain controller.Isaac Oben MCITP:EA, MCSE,MCC View my MCP Certifications

The remote offices 2,3,4 have 8 to 10 workstations. Office 1 and 5 has 15 work stations. Sounds as if I need to set up a second DC.......is that an easy task?

Your design at the central office should include at least two domain controllers. Its not that AD cannot function with one. However, think about the scenario if your one DC failed. What would you do to recover...backups maybe? If you had a second DC and the first failed, your clients would probably not even notice and if they did, the client comminicating with AD would figure it out and start communicating with another DC. Whether or not you need additional DCs at the remote site is not so easy to answer. It all depends on cost, risk, etc... Its really a business decision. From a networking perspective, you can have your remote sites work off of two DCs in the main office (assuming bandwidth and capacity is not exceeded). To set up another DC, just bring up a new server, join it to the domain. When you are ready run DCPROMO and add it as another DC in the existing domain. Finish the process, reboot and that's it. Since you have multiple sites, you'll want to make sure that your AD Sites and Services configuration (sites and subnets objects) is correctly implemented. For this scenario, both DCs in the main office should also have the DNS role and be assigned as Global Catalog servers (GCs). All of your network hosts will point to these two DCs for their DNS client settings. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.