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In windows server 2000/2003 used single master replication to specify roles to domain or forest.This is called FSMO(Flexible Single Master Operation) roles or Master operation roles.It has classified in to five types schema master domain naming master. PDC emulator Relative identifier Infrastructure master. By Senthil
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flexible single master operation
If you plan to install windows 2003 server domain controllers into an existing windows 2000 domain or upgrade a windows 2000 domain controllers to windows server 2003, you first need to run the Adprep.exe utility on the windows 2000 domain controllers currently holding the schema master and infrastructure master roles. The adprep / forestprer command must first be issued on the windows 2000 server holding schema master role in the forest root doman to prepare the existing schema to support windows 2003 active directory. The adprep /domainprep command must be issued on the sever holding the infrastructure master role in the domain where 2000 server will be deployed
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Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory. In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process. However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one or more of the FSMO roles from the default holder DC to a different DC. Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is a bit different than the Windows 2000 version when dealing with FSMO placement. In this article I will only deal with Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that most considerations are also true when planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles
It depends on the computers hardware.
The use of the Server 2k3 after migration of Migration of Active Directory 2003 to 2008 is to transfer fsmo roles and to demote windows.
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FSMO Roles (Flexible Single Master Operations). Also known as Operation Master Roles.
in Active Directory server roles, computers that function as servers within a domain can have one of two roles: member server or domain controller. A member server is a computer that runs an operating system in the Windows 2000 Server family or the Windows Server 2003 family, belongs to a domain, and is not a domain controller. Member servers typically function as the following types of servers: file servers, application servers, database servers, Web servers, certificate servers, firewalls and remote-access servers.
FSMO stands for the Flexible single Master Operation, there are 5 types of FSMO Schema Master Domain Naming Master Infrastructure Master Remote ID Master(RID) PDC Emulator Regards Anil Mahapatra