How Alternative DC works

Summary

The Alternative Domain Controller (DC) is used when the primary DC becomes unavailable. However, the switch to the alternative DC does not occur immediately. This article explains the internal logic behind how Cayosoft Administrator handles Alternative DC functionality.

Applies to

Cayosoft Administrator 11.1

How It Works

Occasionally, rule execution may result in an error indicating a connection issue with Active Directory (AD). For example, you might see an error such as:

Unable to contact the server. This may be because this server does not exist, it is currently down, or it does not have the Active Directory Web Services running.

When this occurs, the Cayosoft Administrator performs a check on the Domain Controller by running a simple Get-ADObject query to determine if AD is accessible. If this check fails, the following happens:

• The problematic DC is added to an internal "Broken" list.
• An Event ID 6219 is logged in the Application Event Log.

On the next rule execution (whether the same rule or another), if the main DC is still in the "Broken" list, the product will automatically switch to the Alternative DC.

Host Processed-Based Behavior

The "Broken" list is tied to the current PowerShell process. When the process ends (e.g., due to expiration or a restart of the Cayosoft Administrator service), the list is cleared. Upon the start of a new process, the product will attempt to contact the primary DC first.

Key Considerations

Cayosoft Administrator assumes that DC connection issues are temporary and will attempt to reconnect to the primary DC in future processes. However, if the primary DC is permanently down, it is recommended to manually update the Active Directory extension settings and replace the failed DC with a functional one.