Error Adding XP Pro machines to our Windows 2000 Server

[Cerran]

I've been having fits the past couple days adding some machines to our office windows 2000 server domain. Every time I try to join the domain I get the following error:

The following error occurred attempting to join the
domain "domain name". The network name cannot be found.

It's driving me nuts. I am getting leased a IP by the 2000 DNS server and I can access the internet on both machines. I just can't seem to find a solution to the problem. I've look just about everywhere.

WINS is operating
Netbios of TCP/IP is enabled, but when I browse the network I cannot see the server.

Suggestions?

 

[Cerran]

BTW I am trying to add windows XP Pro machines to the network. It seems like windows 2000 machines add just fine.

 

[Davetoo]

DNS doesn't issue IP's, DHCP does. Do an ipconfig/all from a command prompt on the XP machine and verify that it is getting the proper DNS server, gateway, etc.

Also, can you ping the server by IP and name?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[Cerran]

That's what happens when you are sick of a problem and are typing too fast to really pay attention.

Pinging by IP works absolutely fine, however pinging by name does not.

I set up WINS this morning but I did not reboot the server. I do have NetBIOS enabled over TCP/IP

I just experienced the same problem on a Windows XP Pro laptop I have that I disconnected from the domain and tried to reconnect.

DHCP is working and shows the machines from Active directory management, however for some reason the machines still cannot see the server to be added to the domain.

 

[Davetoo]

You don't happen to have any software firewalls running on the XP machines do you (Norton, McAfee, etc)? If so, disable them, then try again.

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[Cerran]

No Firewalls at all. In fact it's a fresh install of XP professional with no patches. I've tried patching it to SP2 with all security updates to no avail.

 

[tylerdurdan66]

You can have this problem when all your licenses are used up. Administrative tools > Active Directory Users and Computer. Expand Computers. Delete any old names or unused computers. I have the same problem and have to purchase more users for the server.

 

[Cerran]

My understanding was licenses was only for concurrent connections to the server and not actual computers connected. I may be wrong on this and if I can purchase another block of licenses to make this go away I certainly will. However I hate to spend money if I'm not sure it will fix the problem.

 

[kmcferrin]

Have you tried using the full DN for your domain instead of the shortened NetBIOS version (i.e., DOMAIN.COM instead of just DOMAIN)?

 

[kmcferrin]

It sound like name resolution isn't working correctly since you can't ping by name. When you try pinging by name, are you pinging with the machine name or with the machines FQDN? If you use the command:

ping SERVERNAME

it will try to use WINS/NetBIOS for name resolution. If you use the command:

ping SERVERNAME.DOMAINNAME.COM

it will try to use DNS for name resolution. It's possible for one to work and the other not work at the same time.

Also, I believe that Windows XP clients get their NetBIOS over TCP/IP config from the DHCP server by default. I haven't seen a Windows 2000 workstation in a while, but it may be turned on by default on 2000 which could account for the difference. Is your DHCP server pushing out a setting to require NetBIOS over TCP/IP? You can tell from the client by doing an IPCONFIG /ALL. When configuring a DHCP scope on your server, the NetBIOS over TCP/IP option is set by the following:

1. Go into CONFIGURE OPTIONS.
2. Select the ADVANCED tab.
3. From the Vendor Class dropdown select MICROSOFT OPTIONS.
4. Enable option 1. Set the value to 0x2 to disable it. I believe that it is 0x1 to enable it.

 

[tylerdurdan66]

The license is based on the number of computers joined into rhe domain.

 

[Cerran]

Hmm I tried both pinging by name methods again this morning and neither is working.

The 2000 Box I'm on is set to use the NetBios setting from the DHCP server. Currently the windows XP Pro boxes are set to do the same.

The problem is definitely not a license problem as we are only at 11 Licenses out of 15.

Still stumped here and I really don't want to call MS tech support about this.

 

[kmcferrin]

If neither is working then there is definitely a name resolution issue. Do an IPCONFIG /ALL and verify that it's getting an IP address on the correct subnet (not the 169.x.x.x autoconfig addresses). Also verify the DNS and WINS server addresses are there.

 

[Cerran]

Okay we have the following:

DHCP Enabled
Auconfiguration Enabled
IP Address 192.168.0.1
Subnet 255.255.255.0
Default gateway 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers 192.168.0.1

Connection specific DNS Suffix above is blank.

Still driving me nuts.

 

[kmcferrin]

That's from your Windows XP workstation? It has the same address listed for it's own IP address as it does for the default gateway, DHCP server, and DNS server. That would be highly unusual. The only case where I would expect that would be if it were actually a server that was being used for DNS, DHCP, and also to act as a router (in which case it should have additional IP addresses on that NIC or a second NIC).

Can you please cut and paste the actual IPCONFIG /ALL response?

 

[Cerran]

Host name: FieldLTTP
Primary DNS Suffix: (Blank)
Node Type: Unknown
IP Routing Enabled: No
WINS Proxy Enabled: No

Ethernet NIC:

Physical Address: (ect ect ect)
DCHP Enabled: Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes
IP Address: 192.168.0.27
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server: 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers: 192.168.0.1

That's pretty much the actual cut and paste.

I've been going through the server this morning to try and figure out a solution.

Keep in mind I inherited this mess when I started working here. I'm pretty computer Saavy as I've been building my own at home and I've dealt with a lot of unix based servers before but windows server administration is something new to me. I'm a mechanical engineer 80% of the time and a computer geek 20% of the time.

I honestly am not opposed to reloading the whole server and redoing it right if that's what it takes.

 

[Cerran]

Another strange thing happening on the network the last few days: I cannot browse to the server even on computers that are hooked to the domain.

It's as if the server isn't broadcasting the domain exists or is rejecting any requests that the domain does exist. Obviously there is connectivity though. Any suggestions?

 

[ITSguy]

go to the computer management page and make sure that the server service is running on the server
try connecting to the server using it's ip address from a workstation
If it resolves by ip but not hostname you need to make sure there is no hosts file giving you problems

 

[Cerran]

I've got it resolving the domain server by name now but it's still not letting new machines onto the network. It's as if the domain controll has prevented new computers from being added or from existing users from browsing the network to the server.

 

[Cerran]

There is some new developments here. It's looking like there is a serious problem with DNS on the server.

I dropped a spare hard drive in one of the office machines and proceeded to do a fresh windows 2000 install. I now get the same error when trying to join the domain with the windows 2000 fresh install. it States:

The following error ocurred attempting to join the domain "Domain Name".

The network name cannot be found.