How to Decommission a Crashed Server

Server hardware is typically generalized so that faulty servers can be readily replaced by working servers.

In most server-based networks in a work-dependent environment, the burden of processing various network elements, such as authentication, e-mail services and file storage is divided between several different servers. This is a measure of efficiency and security, as it allows a certain amount of reliability by creating redundancy in a network. When old or faulty servers permanently fail, they can be safely removed from the network. As an example, we'll use a server on a Windows Server-based network to describe how this is possible.

Instructions

1. Go to "Start" then "Run" and type "ntdsutil." Do this on a domain controller, in the highest role possible while logged in as a domain administrator account in order to avoid permissions problems. Type "metadata cleanup," then hit "Enter."

2. Type "connections," hit "Enter," then type "connect to server [domain controller server name]," then hit "Enter." Once it connects, type "quit" to enter the Metadata Cleanup menu.

3. Type "select operation target," hit "Enter," then type "list domains" and hit "Enter." Make note of the number associated with the domain with the server you want to decommission.

4. Type "select domain [number]" then hit "Enter." Type "list sites" and make note of the site with the target server. Type "select site [number]," hit "Enter." Type "list servers in site" and select the target server by typing "select server [number]."

5. Type "quit" to reach the Metadata Cleanup menu for this particular server, then "remove selected server," then "Enter." Wait for the confirmation that the server has been removed, then type "quit" on each screen to exit the utility and close out the connection. Most references to the server have been removed from Active Directory dependent servers.

6. Open your domain controller and make sure to check and remove lingering references in critical server roles, such as DNS entries and static IP's in DHCP.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Remove Data in Active Directory After an Unsuccessful Domain Controller Demotion; January 2011