DNS alias drive mapping issue from win2003 to win2008

[lark2056]

Hello

I have a file server with attached storage volumes set up as shared volumes on my network. For examples sake, I will make up the names as to not give out company data, not that anyone cares.

Server name is = test1

IP address = 10.41.240.100

domain is = bluethunder.com

volume 1 is shared with the share name as file1. I have given full rights to this share to the everyone group and security is set for everyone to have full access. This server is a windows server 2008 enterprise 64bit.

I have 3 domain controllers that are all virtual machines that run windows server 2008 standard 32 bit. They are all active directory integrated and they host my DNS as well.

I have an alias on my DNS that points to the file1 share

So I created a host (A) record on the bluethunder.com domain called
file1.bluethunder.com with the IP of 10.41.240.100. nice and neat.

If I go to a windows server 2008 box in that domain and type in
\\file1.bluethunder.com\file1 from a run box it opens just fine

If I am at a windows 2003 server in the same domain and I type the same thing at a run box I get

"You were not connected becasue a duplicate name exists on the network. Go to system in control panel to change the computer name and try again."

This happens EVERY TIME!! I think I have tried EVERYTHING to fix this to no avail.

If I type in \\10.41.240.100\file1 from the run box in the windows server 2003 box it works just fine. So I know it is something to do with the name.

I have done some searching and everything points me to microsoft knowlege base article 281308. I tried to add this disable strict name checking registry hack to the file server but it hangs everytime I try to reboot it with the fix. I have to go to last known good config to get the file server back up and the registry hack is gone. So the file server does not like it at all.

I am at my wits end with this one. Any other ideas would be beyond appreciated. Thanks!!

lark2056

 

[markdmac]

OK, so regarding the IP settings on the 2003 server. Can you confirm that it only lists the internal DNS servers on the TCP/IP settings for your NIC?

At a command prompt, execute the following on the 2003 server.

IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS
PING FILE1.BLUETHUNDER.COM

Report back the results.

Why can you not use \\test1\file1?

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

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[victorv]

hi,
what I have noted working with these problems is that not all TCP services read informations in the same source and with the same precedence.

Then it is also an historical problem: Windows begun to use network without TCPIP (win9x did not use tcpip by default)

A young man told me a time, that TCPIP was the the "new
network protocol thinked by Microsoft for Windows NT !
Hi did not know that it existed when Bill was a child.

Furthermore, use of DNS, in Windows, has been introduced with Windows 2000 together active directory.

Services as Lanmanager was going in Windows and DOS before
use of tcpip ( \\hostname ).

Suppose you have in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\host
a row with
192.168.1.1 phantom

In your DNS a host with
phantom 192.168.1.2

And in your WINS server a:
phantom 192.168.1.3

And you have a PC nanmed phantom (joined in Domain)
with IP address 192.168.1.4 .

Doing a
C:> ping phantom
which address will answer to you ?
I believe 192.168.1.1

If you do a Start run \\phantom\c$ does someone will
answer to you ?
I believe 192.168.1.4

I have noted that ping (telnet...) follow the
sequence etc\host, DNS, WINS, but \\servername
does not look at DNS entries, but uses NETBIOS
broadcats using lanmanager entries in registry.

To do a sort of fault-tolerance use of name/address,
using Unix you can reference an host not with its name,
but using a utility in DNS:
suppose you have hosts called
host1 192.168.1.1
host2 192.168.1.2
you can enter in DNS also an entry as
fileserver01 192.168.1.1

and use always in your application fileserver01.

When you move your files or other services from host1 to host2, you can just modify fileserver01 entry in DNS:
all will go (maby a reboot or a simple command at client side).

You cannot do the same using \\fileserver01 .

To do this I used an alias in the server host1,
adding a registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters\OptionalNames = filesrv01

My client pointed to filesrv01 and when I moved files from
host1 to host2, I deleted entry in registry from host1 and
I have created it in host2. I had also put and changed
filesrv01 in DNS, but just for consistency.

This is more or less the mechanism used by MSCS (it does it automatically)

Probably I have not resolved your problem, probably I have complicated your life,
but I hope this may however be useful.

ciao
vittorio

 

[lark2056]

Hey Markdmac

Yes. The windows server 2003 box is a virtual machine running on Hyper-V. It only lists the 2 IP addresses of my internal DNS servers as it's primary and secondary.

After I do the ipconfig /flushdns and ping file1.bluethunder.com I get back

Reply from 10.41.240.100

It has no issues pinging the dns name


I can't use \\test1\file1 because alot of our applications are hard coded to use the file1.bluethunder.com\file1 structure. I am not a programmer so I don't know why they hard coded that. It would just be alot easier if I could get this to work without having to fight with the programmers.

But \\test1\file1 works just fine, just to point that out.

lark2056

 

[markdmac]

Have you enabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP in the NIC settigns for your 2003 server? You will find this on the WINS tab.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

Work SMARTER not HARDER. The Spider's Parlor's Admin Script Pack is a collection of Administrative scripts designed to make IT Administration easier! Save time, get more work done, get the Admin Script Pack.