Creating a Windows 2000 domain without Active Directory

Can I create a Windows 2000 domain without having active directory?

Note: I have win98 clients that I want as part of a Windows 2000 domain.

I can recall if you can or can't but truthfully I don't know why you'd want to. Active Directory makes managing your network so much easier. Besides, Windows 98 machines work just fine on a Windows 2000 server domain. The only thing different than an all 2000 domain is that you will need to have a WINS server running on the Server because unlike 2000 machines which rely entirely on DNS for name resolution, Windows 98 machines rely on WINS.

Thanks for your help. I will install active directory and WINS. Is this correct? Don't I install WINS from add/remove components?

Correct -- and one tip I learned along time ago is install your DNS server first, and make sure that is working. Test some of your computers and make sure names resolve. If there are any problems with the DNS server setup, you will probably have problems with the AD install. If you get any DNS errors while installing AD -- you MUST stop the install, go back and fix the DNS problems first, and then try it again.

How do you join Win98 workstations to a Windows 2000 domain?

heehee -- I forgot how to do that myself and had to look it up.

Right click Network Neighborhood | Select Properties
Left Click Microsoft Client for Networks once to highlight it.
Select Properties. Check the Box to join the NT domain and enter the domain name.

If you don't have Microsoft Client for Networks installed you'll need to add the client (It may require the Windows 98 Disk). You can safely remove the Microsoft Family login client if you have it

Reboot At the login screen make sure you select your domain for the login.

As an aside, Domain profiles don't apply to 98 machines so you won't be able to do roaming profiles with those users.

Thanks for the reply. Two questions:

A. Should I make any changes to the information on the Identification or Access Control tabs?

B. I'm having problems getting the Win98 clients to resolve the server's hostname. What DNS/WINS configurations do I have to make on the server and clients for hostnames to resolve properly?

I need help with this same problem, however we do not want to use Active Directory. We upgraded our NT4 server to Windows 2000 and are now in need of setting it up as our DC without active directory. We do not have DNS or WINS in place, nor do we plan on implementing either. Can anyone help me with this configuration? If Active Directory did not require a DNS we could implement it, but unfortunately as I stated we are unable to use a DNS or WINS.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Active Directory requires DNS. You cannot have a Windows Domain without Active Directory in 2000/2003/2008 server.

Why do you not want to implement DNS? You can have DNS and Active Directory running on the same server, when you install Active Directory it will prompt you to install DNS.

To piggyback Grinch, what you may not want is a DHCP server, as multiple DHCP servers, unless properly configured with different scopes, could cause conflicts on your network. But like he said, you have to install DNS to use Active Directory.

If you already have a DC with Active Directory, you can use your Windows 2000 server without it, but you are essentially limiting yourself to using it as a file server, which is what I do with one of mine.

If you want Active Directory to replicate another DC, then again, you have to install DNS.

I look at trying to have Active Directory without DNS like having a car without an engine.