Windows Small Business Server 2003 - Auto Shutdown?

Westwood · 5 Sep 2007 at 16:56

Hi Guys.

I need to seek your advice. I have a server running SBS 2003. It was configured as a domain controller and has been working fine. I wanted to remove the domain and all the complicated bits I no longer used and just have it as a file server. I managed to do this all successfully (or so I thought) but now the server shuts itself down every hour saying it needs to be the primary domain controller? I have had this before when I have had 2 or more servers on the network but it is just this 1 server with 5 workstations.

Can I stop the SBS Server shutting itself down? Surely to be correctly licensed it doesn’t HAVE to be a domain controller? Have I just made a simple configuration boo boo?

Any advice would be great – thanks a lot.

Westwood

Sp00n · 5 Sep 2007 at 17:25

What exactly does it say in the event log?

madman045 · 5 Sep 2007 at 18:56

No you cannot stop it from doing that, its how SBS is designed, if its not a domain controller, then it will auto shut down every 60 minutes.

A client i recently visited had done exactly what you did, I spent the rest of my day rebuilding the server back to a domain controller and all is well, but they dont use any of the domain part, just a file server with shared folders and printer.

oddjob62 · 5 Sep 2007 at 19:19

Westwood said:
Can I stop the SBS Server shutting itself down? Surely to be correctly licensed it doesn’t HAVE to be a domain controller? Have I just made a simple configuration boo boo?

As madman045 says... the SBS server MUST be a DC or it will do this.

Westwood · 23 Sep 2007 at 19:31

Sorry guys been away. Thanks for the replies.

So if I just stick the disk back in and turn it back into a DC it will stop it shutting down. Then I just just configure it to not use the domain or user logons etc and just setup the right shares?

allllec · 23 Sep 2007 at 22:30

Pretty much

Be sure to make sure clients dont carry on trying to connect to it (i assume you dont want this).

brendy · 24 Sep 2007 at 01:02

Why not run it as a domain though? its easy to maintain and stops the sbs core issues. If you dont need t as a proper server then think about getting rid of it and buying a landisk unit or something.