DNS config problems

[wmachin]

I'm running DNS and Active directory on my main server, the problem I'm having is, I cannot add any Win2000 additional domain controllers to the network. Whenever I try and install active directory on these servers I get the following message.

The domain "example.co.uk" cannot be contacted. Select a different domain. (If this domain was recently created, it's name may not yet be registered with the Domain Naming Service.)

I can ping the DNS server by name, server_1.example.com, and an alias, main.example.com, and receive a reply from the correct ip address. I can also browse through 'My Network Places' and view all the objects stored in the active directory. But I can't add an additional controller for the existing domain using the active directory wizard.

Any suggestions on where my problem might be? Could the fact I have an underscore in the Primary Domain Controller cause a problem?

Any suggestions are much appreciated as I am a newcomer to the world of DNS and Active Directory.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tpluskota]

Make sure that your DNS settings on the current server are setup correctly. If the correct DNS entries are not correctly added into the the zone to dynamically represent the structure of the domain, it may function corretly as long as there is only one server, but adding a second server may be difficult.

You may also want to install WINS if you haven't already. If one server is having difficulty finding another server, wins may provide the information necessary for the new server to integrate with the existing server.

 

[wmachin]

Is there a utility I can use to check the DNS settings are all in place. I tried ADcheck and that tested succesfully.

I already have WINS running on the server that I'm trying to promote to an additional domain controller. I'll double check that the servers are registered in wins and report back with the results.

Cheers

 

[sumaya]

try nslookup then at the prompt type ls -d (your.domain)
and see what it says.

 

[gbiello]

The only time I've seen a similar problem, the server hadn't had the service packs applied immediately. Make sure this is done.

dcdiag.exe will run some checks on your server. I forget if it's on the server CD or the Resource Kit.

Also make sure the newer machines are have the existing DC listed as their DNS server, and the "Register this Connection's address in DNS" checkbox is checked in the Advanced DNS properties tab in the NIC's TCP/IP settings.

Underscores can cause problems in various places, so I avoid them (and dashes as well).

hope this helps,
-gbiello

 

[wmachin]

Cheers for the tips - I'll try them out tomorrow and post the results on here.

Thanks again

 

[wmachin]

First I checked the WINS settings on my servers - this was all OK. I also checked that my DNS server was the only server IP address in the network settings of the other servers. Then when trying NSlookup I got this info back

c:\>nslookup
*** Can't find server name for address 10.122.164.104: Non-existent domain
*** Default servers are not available
Default Server: UnKnown
Address: 10.122.164.104

> ls -d my.domain.co.uk
[UnKnown]
*** Can't list domain my.domain.co.uk: Query refused

What does this mean to everyone?

I have checked the service pack level and it's up to Service Pack 2. Would it be worth re-installing Service Pack 2 again?

 

[wmachin]

This is my DNS Structure, I have no reverse lookup setup because I don't know how this needs to be configured. Could that be causing my problem?

SERVER
Forward Lookup Zones
.
uk
co
domain
my
my.domain.co.uk
_msdcs
_sites
Default-First-Site-Name
_tcp
_tcp
_udp

 

[sumaya]

i do beleive that you are corret you need to have reverse lookup poiners for this to work give it a try

 

[wmachin]

Here is my DNS configuration after I added the reverse lookup zone. If my network address is 10.122.164.x is this then setup correctly?

SERVER
- Forward Lookup Zones
- .
- arpa
- in-addr
- 10
- 122
- 164
- 164
- 122
- 10
+ my.domain.co.uk
- Reverse Lookup Zones
10.122.164.x Subnet