DNS - AD - problem connecting new machines to domain

  • Thread starter Thread starter Feargal
  • Start date Start date
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Feargal

Hi
I have a small AD setup, one Win2k server (DC, DNS,DHCP,SQL2K) and an old
NT4 server (SQL2K). Approx 15-20 clients, mainly XP, but 1 or 2 Win2K Pro.

The DNS/AD setup is using (and has always used) the companies primary domain
name (e.g.mydom.co.uk) as the internal domname. But DNS for that domain name
is 'officially' managed externally by our isp.

This setup has seemed to work successfully until very recently, but we are
now experiencing reasonably disconcerting problems, some of which (maybe
all) seem to be related to AD and DNS. It looks like the guy that originally
set this up 5 years ago didn't quite get it right.

The problems we are now experiencing include:
* A new XP PC which will not join the domain ("The specified server cannot
perform the requested operation")
* Regular disconnections of clients from mapped drives
* Regular Event Viewer error msgs of the style
Registration of the DNS record
'ba9510de-edd3-431e-b5d7-b7596c2a647b._msdcs.mydom.co.uk. 600 IN CNAME
Ceasar.mydom.co.uk.' failed with the following error:
DNS RR set that ought to exist, does not exist."

Something is not right with the setup. I can't figure out what. I suspect
DNS, but I may be wrong. Any suggestions on where to start looking?

Ta
 
The DNS/AD setup is using (and has always used) the companies primary
domain name (e.g.mydom.co.uk) as the internal domname. But DNS for that
domain name is 'officially' managed externally by our isp.
Click to expand...


AD absolutely must have a DNS server for the AD domain in order to "find"
the domain. Not your ISP's DNS server.

Basic AD DNS set up is install DNS, point the DNS server to itself for DNS
in the properties of TCP/IP, use the actual IP address not 127.0.0.1. All AD
client point to the DNS server set up for the AD domain ONLY. For Internet
access configure your AD DNS server to forward requests and list your ISP's
DNS server(s) as the forwarder. This is the only place on your AD domain
your ISP's DNS server should be listed.

Computers that point to any other DNS server for "preferred" other than the
DNS server that houses the zone for your AD domain will experience a hard
time joining the domain, extremely long log in times, group policy won't
work. Any AD computer pointing, to any other server other than the one set
up for your AD domain, as "alternate" will loose network drives randomly.

See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814591/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/825036/en-us
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323380/en-us

hth
DDS
 
Thanks Danny

I suspected something as much.

I'll work thro it and let you know how I get on.

Thanks again
 
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