Check FSMO roles in Active Directory

Once you Install Active Directory Domain Services, the FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operations) roles are installed on that Windows Server. If you have more than one Domain Controller or more than one domain in the forest, you like to know which DC holds which FSMO role. In this article, you will learn how to check the FSMO roles in Active Directory.

How many FSMO roles

There are five FSMO roles:

1. Schema master (one per forest)
2. Domain naming master (one per forest)
3. RID master (one per domain)
4. PDC emulator (one per domain)
5. Infrastructure master (one per domain)

Let’s look at how to find FSMO roles in Active Directory with different methods.

Check FSMO roles with Command Prompt

Get the FSMO roles with the command netdom query FSMO.

You can run the command in Command Prompt or PowerShell to find the FSMO roles in Active Directory.

PS C:\> netdom query FSMO

Schema master               DC01-2019.exoip.local
Domain naming master        DC01-2019.exoip.local
PDC                         DC01-2019.exoip.local
RID pool manager            DC01-2019.exoip.local
Infrastructure master       DC01-2019.exoip.local
The command completed successfully.

Check FSMO roles with PowerShell

You can find the FSMO roles with PowerShell cmdlets. There are two cmdlets that you need to run.

Run the Get-ADForest cmdlet to get the Schema master and Domain naming master roles.

PS C:\> Get-ADForest | fl SchemaMaster,DomainNamingMaster


SchemaMaster       : DC01-2019.exoip.local
DomainNamingMaster : DC01-2019.exoip.local

Run the Get-ADDomain cmdlet to get the RID master, PDC emulator, and Infrastructure master roles.

PS C:\> Get-ADDomain | fl RIDMaster,PDCEmulator,InfrastructureMaster


RIDMaster            : DC01-2019.exoip.local
PDCEmulator          : DC01-2019.exoip.local
InfrastructureMaster : DC01-2019.exoip.local

Get FSMO roles with PowerShell script

An excellent way to get the FSMO roles is to run the Get-ADInfo.ps1 PowerShell script. This will show the FSMO roles and more information about your Active Directory.

PS C:\> cd C:\scripts
PS C:\scripts> .\Get-ADinfo.ps1

Active Directory Info

Computers =     8
Workstions =    3
Servers =       5
Users =         5143
Groups =        88

Active Directory Forest Name =   exoip.local
Active Directory Forest Mode =   Windows2016Forest
Active Directory Domain Mode =   Windows2016Domain
Active Directory Schema Version is 88 which corresponds to Windows Server 2019/Windows Server 2022

FSMO Role Owners
Schema master               DC01-2019.exoip.local
Domain naming master        DC01-2019.exoip.local
PDC                         DC01-2019.exoip.local
RID pool manager            DC01-2019.exoip.local
Infrastructure master       DC01-2019.exoip.local
The command completed successfully.

Check FSMO roles with GUI

To check the FSMO roles with GUI, follow these steps:

1. Start Command Prompt as administrator.

2. Type the command regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll and press Enter.

3. A message appears that DllRegisterServer in schmmgmt.dll succeeded. Press OK.

Note: You must register the Active Directory schema MMC snap-in to make it available in the MMC snap-in list.

4. Click the start button, search for Run and click on it.

5. Type in mmc.exe and click OK.

6. Click File and select Add/Remove Snap-in.

7. Click on Active Directory Schema, select Add, and click OK.

8. Click on Active Directory Schema to load the configuration.

9. Right-click Active Directory Schema and click on Operations Master.

10. The Domain Controller that holds the Schema master role will appear.

11. Start Active Directory Domains and Trusts.

12. Right-click on Active Directory Domains and Trusts and click on Operations Master.

13. The Domain Controller that holds the Domain naming master role will appear.

14. Start Active Directory Users and Computers.

15. Right-click on the domain and click on Operations Master.

16. Select each tab to see which Domain Controller holds the FSMO roles:

• RID master
• PDC emulator
• Infrastructure master

That’s it!

Read the below articles on how to install and configure two Domain Controllers:

• Install Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server
• Add Domain Controller to existing domain

Conclusion

You learned how to check the FSMO roles in Active Directory. Use the method you like the most to find which Domain Controller holds which FSMO role in Active Directory.

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