My question is if all of the global catalog servers were removed what would happen ?
We'll not be able to reach or use Active Directory information in other domains ?

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The Global Catalog contains a partial replica of every Windows 2000 domain in the directory and is built automatically by the Active Directory replication system. This lets users and applications find objects in an Active Directory domain tree given one or more attributes of the target object. The catalog also contains the schema and configuration of directory partitions. This means the global catalog holds a replica of every object in the Active Directory, but with only a small number of their attributes. Attributes in the global catalog are those most frequently used in search operations (such as a user's first and last names, logon names, and so on), and those required to locate a full replica of the object.

Using this common information, users can find objects of interest quickly without knowing what domain holds them and without requiring a contiguous extended namespace in the enterprise. If the object cannot be found in the Global Catalog, then the search utility can query your local domain partition for information.

You can use the Schema Manager tool to change the schema and define which attributes are stored in the Global Catalog. Since the Global Catalog is replicated on changes made to all Global Catalog servers, it is a good practice to limit the amount of attributes stored in the local partition for both performance and maintenance purposes.

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thanks...

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quote:

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Originally posted by aslanigo
My question is if all of the global catalog servers were removed what would happen ?
We'll not be able to reach or use Active Directory information in other domains ?

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No, No, you've got it all wrong. Here's what would really happen. All of the domain controllers that were global catalog servers would spontaneously combust, and the rest of the domain would turn into a big pile of festering sludge.

To add to what Frank said, a global catalog server is required for logging into the domain. If its not available, then the user logs on locally with the cached credentials. This is because universal group membership is stored on the GC in native mode. Membership is not stored on every domain controller in the domain. When a user logs on it querys the GC to determine what universal groups the user belongs to. A domain administrator can logon without a GC server being present.

Last edited by Slinky on 04-01-02 at 03:43 AM

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quote:

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Originally posted by Slinky


No, No, you've got it all wrong. Here's what would really happen. All of the domain controllers that were global catalog servers would spontaneously combust, and the rest of the domain would turn into a big pile of festering sludge.

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MMMMMMM....Is that the gooey chocolate festering sludge, or the caramel?

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