Installing, Upgrading and Migrating Servers and Workloads

Hands-On:FSMO Role Transfer

Note: This method requires the current FSMO role holder to be online and available.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Click Start → Search "cmd" → Right-click → Run as Administrator
2. Start NTDSUTIL:

   ntdsutil

3. Activate FSMO Maintenance Mode:

   roles

4. Connect to the Target Server:

   connections
   connect to server <Target-DC-Name>
   quit
           

5. Transfer Specific FSMO Role: Use one of the following commands depending on the role you want to transfer:

   transfer schema master
   transfer naming master
   transfer rid master
   transfer pdc
   transfer infrastructure master
           

6. Confirm the Transfer: Type Yes when prompted and press Enter.
7. Exit NTDSUTIL:

   quit
   quit
           

Example: Transfer RID Master

ntdsutil
roles
connections
connect to server DC2
quit
transfer rid master
    

Verification

Run the following command to confirm the transfer of FSMO roles:

netdom query fsmo