How to Leverage Volume Mount Points to Better Manage Sysvol and Active Directory

ID: Q237904

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

SUMMARY

After you install Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, you may want to promote your computer to be a domain controller (DC). When you run Dcpromo.exe to promote the server to be a DC, you have the opportunity to specify the location of the Shared System Volume (SYSVOL) and Active Directory (NTDS) folders. The SYSVOL folder must be located on a NTFS volume because of its extensive use of directory junctions.
For more information about directory junctions, please click the article link below to view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Q186750 Usage of NTFS 5.0 Junctions in the Sysvol Folder
Windows 2000 does not currently have an easy way of moving the SYSVOL location after it has been defined and installed. Should the volume containing SYSVOL become full or fail, it would be very difficult to move it or specify a new location to hold SYSVOL.

The only method of moving SYSVOL to another drive is by running Dcpromo.exe and demoting the DC to a Standalone Server, then re-promoting it. During the re-promotion process, you can specify a new location for SYSVOL. However, this method may not be the most desirable and should be considered carefully before being implemented.

This article explains how to take advantage of Volume Mount Points to help facilitate managing the SYSVOL folder and allowing it to be easily moved to another physical drive without the need of demoting and re-promoting the server.


MORE INFORMATION

NOTE: Your Windows 2000 installation folder (that is, Winnt) must be on a NTFS partition for this method to work.

For performance reasons, it is best for the operating system, SYSVOL, and NTDS to be on separate drives, but for ease of managing the server, it is desirable to have all components of the operating system on a single volume in a single name space. Using Volume Mount points, you can achieve both of these goals provided that you plan ahead.

In this example, the Operating System exists on one volume (C:), with SYSVOL and NTDS each on separate volumes while maintaining a single name space of C:\Winnt so that all three components can be managed as a single entity.

  1. Before you run Dcpromo.exe, pre-create empty subfolders to hold SYSVOL and NTDS on the system volume. The default folders during a promotion is C:\Winnt\Sysvol and C:\Winnt\Ntds.


  2. Decide which physical volumes you want the real SYSVOL and NTDS folders to reside on. Remember, SYSVOL must be on an NTFS volume.


  3. Using Disk Management, create Volume Mount Points from the desired volumes on which you want SYSVOL and NTDS to reside.


    1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.


    2. Expand the Storage folder, and then click Disk Management.


    3. Right-click the volume you want to use for SYSVOL, then click Change Drive Letter and Path.


    4. Click Add, and then select the Mount in this NTFS folder radio button.


    5. Click Browse, locate and select the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Sysvol folder, and then click OK.


    6. Right-click the volume you want to use for NTDS, then click Change Drive Letter and Path.


    7. Click Add, and then select the "Mount in this NTFS folder" radio button.


    8. Click Browse, locate and select the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Ntds folder, and then click OK.


    9. Quit Disk Management.


  4. Run Dcpromo.exe and use the Wizard to select your options. When it comes time to specify the location for Active Directory, append NTDS to the default path. This creates the Active Directory in a NTDS folder off the root of the Volume mounted in the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Ntds Volume Mount Point folder. Choose another volume for the LOG or choose another folder (NTDSLOG) other than NTDS because this is the volume mount point itself.


  5. When it comes time to specify the location for the SYSVOL folder, append Sysvol to the current path. This creates the Active Directory in a SYSVOL folder off the root of the Volume mounted in the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Sysvol Volume Mount Point folder.



When the promotion process is complete, the directory structure looks similar to the following:

Active Directory: C:\Winnt\Ntds\Ntds <--- located on another volume.
Active Directory LOG: C:\Winnt\Ntdslog
Shared System Volume: C:\Winnt\Sysvol\Sysvol <--- located on another volume.

Performing the above procedure allows the entire operating system to be managed under a single name space of C:\Winnt, but the physical locations where the SYSVOL and NTDS folders reside are on completely separate volumes. This configuration gives you the flexibility, should the situation arise, of replacing the underlying drives for SYSVOL or NTDS if more space is desired, or because of drive failure.

Replacing the underlying drives for SYSVOL or NTDS is accomplished by simply adding a new or selecting an existing disk, re-establishing the Mount Point, then restoring from backup. This process is possible because there is no drive letter dependency associated with these volumes and if they happen to be shared with other programs, it is then possible to keep them in production while you move SYSVOL or NTDS to another physical drive.

Because the Windows 2000 backup (Ntbackup.exe) program relies on having consistent drive letters to perform a "System State" restore, this will always be true because all the system components are logically located on the C: Volume.

How to Move SYSVOL

The following procedure assumes you have a current backup of the C:\Winnt\Sysvol\Sysvol folder and sub-folders along with the "System State" that can be used during a restore operation.

NOTE: The "System State" only contains part of the SYSVOL information, that is why your backup must also contain the SYSVOL folders. Restoring the "System State" alone does not restore a working SYSVOL.
  1. Shutdown and restart the server, press F8 for Advanced options, and then click Directory Services Restore mode from the menu.


  2. Stop the File Replication service. To do this, type the following from an MS-DOS command prompt:
    net stop "file replication service"


  3. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.


  4. Expand the Storage folder, and then click Disk Management.


  5. On the View menu, click All Drive Paths.


  6. Select the entry that represents the SYSVOL mounted volume, and then click Remove to delete the Mount Point.


  7. Establish a new mounted volume on a new or different disk.


    1. Right-click the volume you want to use for the new SYSVOL, and then click Change Drive Letter and Path.


    2. Click Add, and then select the mount in this NTFS folder radio button.


    3. Click Browse, locate and select the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Sysvol folder, and then click OK.


  8. Start Windows 2000 backup (Ntbackup.exe) and restore your Sysvol folder and "System State" to their original location.


  9. Restart your computer after the restore operation is complete.


How to Move the Active Directory (NTDS)

This procedure assumes you have a current backup of the "System State" that can be used during a restore operation.
  1. Shutdown and restart the server, press F8 for Advanced options, and then click Directory Services Restore mode from the menu.


  2. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.


  3. Expand the Storage folder, and then click Disk Management.


  4. On the View menu, click All Drive Paths.


  5. Click the entry that represents the NTDS mounted volume, then click Remove to delete the mount point.


  6. Establish a new mounted volume on a new or different disk. To do this:


    1. Right-click the volume you want to use for the new NTDS, and then click Change Drive Letter and Path.


    2. Click Add, and then select the Mount in this NTFS folder radio button.


    3. Click Browse, locate and select the %SystemDrive%\Winnt\Ntds folder, then press OK.


  7. Start Windows 2000 backup (Ntbackup.exe) and restore your "System State" to the original location.


  8. Restart your computer after the restore is complete.


Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: December 29, 1999
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