Active Directory Sites and Services cleanup

[ChrisAFC]

Hi All,

As part of an ongoing plan to upgrade out Windows 2000 Domain we are currently in the process of cleaning up our Active Directory and fixes any errors/problems that may become apparent.

Within the Active Directory Sites and Services MMC Snap In, under Sites - Default-First-Site-Name - Servers we have our two Domain Controllers listed as expected. However in addition we have a random file server listed, at no point in time has AD ever been installed on this machine.

When you expand this random server, there is a sub container/folder, Exchange Settings which contains no objects.

My first question therefore is can this random server be safely deleted?

Secondly, what is the purpose of the empty Exchange Settings folder, and can this also be safely deleted? If not can it be moved to a different location?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Gunilla]

With Server 2000, was implemented for the first time that UC can use AD and AD sites and services to remove a domain controller and automatically activate the cleaning of AD database. This does not mean that, when executed in the year of the UC, to remove the domain controller in AD sites and services and also for cleaning the DNS server if the server was DNS. It has always been that way (at least from W2K). Most of us recommend that FSMO be moved manually before DCPROMO the DC. Just do not trust something so important to do "automatically", especially if more than one other DC.