Active Directory Design and Security Concepts - MCTS Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration - page 132

4. Right-click NTDS Settings under ServerXX and click Properties . Click the General tab, if
necessary. When the Global Catalog check box is selected, the domain controller is a global
catalog server. Because it's the only global catalog server in the forest, clearing the check box
generates a warning message stating that users can't log on if there's no global catalog server.
Click Cancel .
5. Right-click ServerXX and click Properties . Click the General tab, if necessary. Note that
Global Catalog is specified in the DC Type text box. Click Cancel . Close Active Directory
Sites and Services.

Forest Root Domain As discussed, when the first domain is created in a Windows net-
work, the forest root is also created. In fact, the first domain is the forest root and is referred to
as the forest root domain . It has a number of important responsibilities and serves as an anchor
for other trees and domains added to the forest. Certain functions that affect all domains in the
forest are conducted only through the forest root domain, and if this domain becomes inopera-
ble, the entire Active Directory structure ceases functioning. Figure 4-11 shows the forest root
domain with multiple domains and trees. In Chapter 3, Figure 3-4 showed the same structure,
but for simplicity, it didn't show one of the domains as the forest root.

Coolgadgets.com
(forest root)

Niftytools.com

US.coolgadgets.com UK.coolgadgets.com

Asia.niftytools.com Americas.niftytools.com

Figure 4-11 The forest root domain

What makes the forest root domain so important? It provides functions that facilitate and
manage communication between all domains in the forest as well as between forests, if neces-
sary. Some functions the forest root domain usually handles include the following:
• DNS server
• Global catalog server
• Forestwide administrative accounts
• Operations masters