I have introduced 2 new Win2019 DC's into my domain, and removed the old ones properly (demoted then removed from domain). I confirmed from the Users and Computers app that my old DC's are no longer present. For some reason one of my old DC still shows under Sites and Services. I tried to delete it but Windows says I don't have the necessary privileges or the object is protected. I am logged in as domain admin.
I assumed I need to cleanup the metadata per these instructions:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2003/cc736378(v=ws.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN
However - the instructions are vague at steps J and L. In particular:
- Step J - am I supposed to pick the server I wish to remove? Because
it is not in the list (only the new DC is in the list).
- Step L - am I supposed to append the name of
the server to delete to this command? This is dangerous because I don't want to delete my new DC, and the instructions suggest I will be deleting the server selected in step J (and my old DC is not in the list)
Am I approaching this the wrong way? Should I use ADSI edit to get rid of it? I found the old DC in:
Configuration > CN=Configuration... > CN=Sites > CN=Site1 > CN=OLDDC
I could change permissions to allow delete. But I hate messing with ADSI edit since it's easy to destroy a domain
In case the link dies some day, the steps from the above link are:
1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
ntdsutil
3. At the ntdsutil: prompt, type:
metadata cleanup
4. Perform metadata cleanup as follows:
If you are performing metadata cleanup by using the version of Ntdsutil.exe that is included with Windows Server 2003 SP1, at the metadata cleanup: prompt, type:
remove selected server ServerName
Or
remove selected server ServerName1 on ServerName2
TABLE 1
Value Definition
ServerName, ServerName1
The distinguished name of the domain controller whose metadata you want to remove, in the form cn=ServerName,cn=Servers,cn=SiteName, cn=Sites,cn=Configuration,dc=ForestRootDomain
ServerName2
The DNS name of the domain controller to which you want to connect and from which you want to remove server metadata
If you are performing metadata cleanup by using the version of Ntdsutil.exe that is included with Windows Server 2003 with no service pack, perform metadata cleanup as follows:
A. At the metadata cleanup: prompt, type:
connection
B. At the server connections: prompt, type:
connect to server Server
C. At the server connections: prompt, type:
quit
D. At the metadata cleanup: prompt, type:
select operation target
E. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
list sites
A numbered list of sites appears.
F. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
select site SiteNumber
G. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
list domains in site
A numbered list of domains in the selected site appears.
H. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
select domain DomainNumber
I. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
list servers in site
A numbered list of servers in a domain and site appears.
J. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
select server ServerNumber
K. At the select operation target: prompt, type:
quit
L. At the metadata cleanup: prompt, type:
remove selected server
TABLE 2
Value Description
Server
The DNS name of a domain controller that you want to connect to
SiteNumber
The number associated with the site of the server that you want to clean up that appears in the list
DomainNumber
The number associated with the domain of the server that you want to clean up that appears in the list
ServerNumber
The number associated with the server that you want to clean up that appears in the list
At this point, Active Directory confirms that the domain controller was removed successfully. If you receive an error message that indicates that the object cannot be found, Active Directory might have already removed the domain controller.
5. To verify that the server was removed, type list servers in site, and then press ENTER. Ensure that the domain controller that you wanted to be removed is no longer displayed in the command output.
6. At the metadata cleanup: and ntdsutil: prompts, type quit.
