Member Avatar for savoyajolie

Hi all,
I need to set up three different sites with different domain names using Windows 2003 Active Directory. How many routers and switches do I need? Each domain will have 6 Windows 2003 servers and the three domains are two trust-relationship. I know how to create a LAN/Wan using only one domain but need your help setting up three different domains.
Thanks much,
Savoyajolie

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Building on 's point about separating the sites onto distinct IP ranges, the next step is to decide the AD topology and then create the appropriate trusts. If the three domains will live in a single Active Directory forest, parent/child or tree trusts are created automatically and you mainly need to configure Sites & Services, DNS, and replication. If they are separate domains/forests, you must create explicit trusts (forest or external) and pick two‑way transitive trusts where you want full mutual access.

Practical checklist for creating the trusts and making them work:

  • Create the trust in the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console (New Trust wizard). Choose External vs Forest trust based on whether it’s between domains in one forest or between separate forests; choose two‑way if you want mutual authentication. Provide admin credentials for the remote side when prompted.
  • Ensure name resolution between domains. Use conditional forwarders or stub/secondary zones so each domain’s DNS can resolve the other domain’s SRV records. Without DNS resolution the trust will fail.
  • Ensure time sync (Kerberos requires clocks to be close), and place a Global Catalog in a reachable site for cross‑domain logons and universal group resolution.
  • Open the required ports across the WAN or use a site‑to‑site VPN. Key ports include DNS (53), Kerberos (88), LDAP (389), GC (3268), SMB (445), RPC endpoint mapper (135) and dynamic RPC (Windows 2003 default 1025–5000). Restrict RPC ports or use RPC fixed ports if you must lock down firewalls.

Quick testing and troubleshooting tips:

  • Verify SRV records with nslookup, check trust status in Domains and Trusts, and use dcdiag/event logs for errors.
  • Common failure points are DNS, blocked RPC ports, or time skew. If trusts don’t behave as expected remember external trusts are non‑transitive (plan pairwise trusts accordingly) while forest/parent‑child trusts are transitive.
Member Avatar for andymackk

Hi all,
I need to set up three different sites with different domain names using Windows 2003 Active Directory. How many routers and switches do I need? Each domain will have 6 Windows 2003 servers and the three domains are two trust-relationship. I know how to create a LAN/Wan using only one domain but need your help setting up three different domains.
Thanks much,
Savoyajolie

Assuming the Sites are remote from each other, you would only need 1 Router and 1 Switch at each site. They would need to be on different IP Ranges.

Member Avatar for savoyajolie

Thanks andymackk. Once I set up the routers and switches with different IP range how do I create two trust relationship among the three domains? So that users can access data from the three different sites.

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