I am demoting a Domain Controller running on Windows 2012 R2. Under Active Directory Sites and Services it is configured with DNS Settings, Type msDNS-Server. Can I demote this Domain Controller?

Question

This windows 2012 R2 Domain Controller does not contain any FSMO roles. There are four other Domain Controllers within the domain. DNSSEC is not configured for this domain. Do I need to move DNS Setting (type msDNS-Server) to another active Domain Controller prior to demoting this Domain Controller? Or can this just be ignored?

Answer 1

Hello Kevin Berryman, Thank you for posting in our Q&A forum.

Q: Do I need to move DNS Setting (type msDNS-Server) to another active Domain Controller prior to demoting this Domain Controller? Or can this just be ignored?
A: No, you do not need to do this.

If this domain controller is a DC and also a DNS server, and if you want to demote this dc as a member server and also want this DC server NOT to be as a DNS server, then you can demote this DC and remove ADDS role and DNS role on this DC server. However, before you remove DNS role on this server, you should check if any client or workstation or any DC point to this server as their preferred DNS server, if so, please change the preferred DNS server to other DNS server.

If the DC was a DNS server, update the DNS client configuration on all member workstations, member servers, and other DCs that might have used this DNS server for name resolution. If it is required, modify the DHCP scope to reflect the removal of the DNS server. If the DC was a DNS server, update the Forwarder settings and the Delegation settings on any other DNS servers that might have pointed to the removed DC for name resolution. Hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know. Best Regards,
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