PDC Promotion
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
When a computer is promoted to become a domain controller, the promotion process updates the status of the computer to indicate that it holds the primary domain controller (PDC) emulator operations master role (also known as flexible single master operations or FSMO) for the domain.
The PDC emulator operations master acts as a Windows NT primary domain controller. It processes password changes from clients and replicates updates to the backup domain controllers (BDCs). At any time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the PDC emulator master in each domain in the forest.
By default, the PDC emulator is responsible for synchronizing the time on all domain controllers throughout the domain.
The PDC emulator receives preferential replication of password changes that are performed by other domain controllers in the domain. If a password was changed recently, that change takes time to replicate to every domain controller in the domain. If a logon authentication fails at another domain controller as a result of a bad password, that domain controller will forward the authentication request to the PDC emulator before rejecting the logon attempt.
Events
| Event ID | Source | Message |
|---|---|---|
SAM |
%1 is now the primary domain controller for the domain. |