Trying Non-Authoritative restore but CN=DFSR-LocalSettings is missing

Question

I have a single Domain with one Windows 2011 SBS Domain Controller and a newly joined and DC promoted Windows Server 2012 Standard. Forest and Domain functional levels are both Windows Server 2003.

It seems SYSVOL never replicated correctly with the primary Domain Controller after its promotion to DC, in contrast with Active Directory and DNS Server that replicated fine.

In order to fix the issue, I am thinking of trying a Non-Authoritative restore on the troubled server using ADSIEDIT (former D2 mode on FRS) but CN=DFSR-LocalSettings value which is needed for this action is missing.

I am not sure if that's related or not, but on a home lab i have on an entire Windows 2012 R2 Standard Domain, on Group Policy Management, on Domains option i am getting a "This page shows the status of Active Directory and SYSVOL (DFSR) replication for this domain as it is relates to Group Policy" while on the Windows 2011 SBS Ddomain on the same option, i am getting a "This page shows the status of Active Directory and SYSVOL (FRS) replication for this domain as it is relates to Group Policy".

I am a little confused here i must say and i wonder, is there a chance that i should perform a D2 BURFLAG restore instead of editing ADSIEDIT settings?

Has anyone experienced that situation before?

Solution

If you are still using FRS, then yes the D2 would be the way to go. But you still need to have the FRS replication topology object in ADSIEDIT at:

CN=Domain System Volume (SYSVOL share),CN=File Replication Service,CN=System,DC=yourdomain,DC=com

And the associated ServerReference.

Recovering missing FRS objects and FRS attributes in Active Directory
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312862

Comments

[Konstantinos Xanthopoulos]

Thanks for the reply, if i upgrade both forest/domain functional level to 2008R2 (i hope SBS 2011 supports it), then am i going to have the DFSR replication instead of FRS or it's irrelevant?

[Greg Askew]

No - migrating to DFS-R is a separate step, after raising the Domain functional level to 2008.