Network naming error by my predecessor wreaks havoc on my life!

[AceHigh1234]

OK, I took over at an office last august for the old computer guy right after a major system crash. The person who set up the new server was trying to recreate the domain ABC2000.local for some? reason he couldn't get the old domain name to work at first. At some point, he tried using ABC20000. Now, everything in DNS is ABC2000.local, all the computers are amachine@ABC2000.local, when I add a mcahine, I add it to ABC2000.local, all my users are auser@ABC2000.local, I can pink amachine@allen2000.local and get a response etc. When my users log on to their workstations, however, the select ABC20000.local from the drop down box. When I go to network places on my server, and view entire network, I see ABC20000 as the network name. When ever I go to the properties for any item in AD, the network name is listed properly as ABC2000.local almost everwhere except for any security tabs, and for my User Log on name (pre WIn2000). We've been having some VERY strange problems around here lately with an accounting application that is hosted on one of our servers, and with a Pervasive.SQL database used with the accounting program. I check my server event logs daily, but never check my users logs unless they have a problem. Well, I've been working on this for a while now, and I started checking my users even logs for once, and almost all of them have this error:

*****Just tried to connect to a remote users event log from the server, and it will not connect. Yet that user is accessing the accounting application and a shared data folder on the serverI am using right now*****

Something about group policy could not be processed because the domain ABC20000.local could not be contacted. The specified domain is offline or does not exist.

I am at a loss to even guess at how this was done, or how to correct it, and I've been working on it off and on for months now.

ANY help or input would be GREATLY appreciated!!

-Mark Vickroy, Jr.

 

[58sniper]

abc2000 is the netbios name, and abc2000.local is the DNS name. That's not uncommon.

"Something about group policy could not be processed because the domain ABC20000.local could not be contacted." doesn't really help. Can you be more specific? Try looking up event errors at

http://www.eventid.net/

for some solutions to common problems.

Pat Richard, MCSE(2) MCSA:Messaging, CNA(2)
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[AceHigh1234]

I use eventid.net all the time, great resource. I didn't however look up the workstation errors there yet, so that's where I'll start tomarrow. We don't have a wins or dhcp server. Also, one is abc2000.local, the other is abc20000.local (logon box) or abc20000 (all other refrences) notice the extra 0 /\

-Mark Vickroy, Jr.

 

[AceHigh1234]

This is the specific error message everyone is getting. I am going to go through some things I pulled from eventid.net and post my findings here.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Userenv
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1054
Date: 6/6/2006
Time: 9:32:58 AM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: SJAMES
Description:
Windows cannot obtain the domain controller name for your computer network. (The specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted. ). Group Policy processing aborted.

 

[LWComputingMVP]

What are your DNS settings? MANY errors like this are DNS related. Your workstations should ONLY use the server for DNS, no other DNS servers should be listed.

 

[AceHigh1234]

All my clients have our primary dns as their promary dns, and our secondary dns server as their secondary dns server..

 

[58sniper]

And by "primary DNS" (and "secondary DNS"), you mean your primary Active Directory DNS server, NOT your primary ISP DNS server, correct? I don't want to make assumptions.

Pat Richard, MCSE(2) MCSA:Messaging, CNA(2)
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[AceHigh1234]

you are correct, they are our internal AD intergrated DNS servers

 

[LWComputingMVP]

Any othher event log messages? On clients? On the servers? Any chance you have host file entries by mistake? If you review your DNS information on the server (the zones themselves), do you see the necessary service records? How many domain controllers? Have you tried rebooting the domain controllers?

 

[WhoKilledKenny]

Check TCP/IP connections of the workstation(s) you are having issues with. Make sure, under the DNS tab, that the "DNS suffix for this connect" has the current domain name configured.

 

[AceHigh1234]

lwcomputing: I get a w32 time error on the servers & workstations about once a week, but I know why, other than that, not really any errors.. All machines use DNS, but also have a hosts file I configured with all the computers on our network (we use static IPs) as abackup, and I just did that, so I'm sure my hosts files are cool. DNS looks good, no errors, and everything is there that should be. We have 3 domain controllers, one is the PDC and also hosts an accounting app, one is a terminaal server, the other handles terminal server lisc. and hosts a photo drive, and has backups of all the user profiles. I have rebooted the DCs many times for different reasons...

WhoKilledKenny : I have't checked that setting on ALL of the workstations that are having problems, but I have on several, the setting was correct and I still get these frigging errors!!!

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[LWComputingMVP]

Sorry, but "DNS looks good" is not an answer. The Static hosts files can also be a problem - especially if you ever change everything. I know of no one who does that and would advise against it. Instead, setup a second DNS server.

It would help if you ran IPCONFIG /ALL on the server and IPCONFIG /ALL on a workstation and posted the results here. DNS MUST be configured very specifically or you can have serious problems. Active Directory relies HEAVILY on DNS and improperly configured - even if you THINK you have it right - can be a big problem.

 

[58sniper]

I wouldn't use the static file. "backup" isn't a valid answer, IMHO. You should have multiple DNS servers. If one goes down, the next should be your "backup". Not a host file that has to be updated each time you add/remove a machine.

Pat Richard, MCSE(2) MCSA:Messaging, CNA(2)
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[pgaliardo]

I'll put in my 2 cents and back up what lwcomputing and 58sniper are saying. Get rid of the hosts files if you have DNS set up.

 

[pgaliardo]

If you go into AD Domains and Trusts, what domains are listed there? Is the correct domain name ABC2000.local or ABC20000.local?

 

[AceHigh1234]

We never really add or remove machines... And if we did, it would be to replace a machine already on the network. Also, we do have 2 dns servers, so I guess I REALLY don't need the hosts file.. I'll try to post the ipconfig /all results tomarrow.

And AD Domains and trusts lists ABC2000.local, the correct domain.

 

[pgaliardo]

I would check the network identification of some of the problem workstations. Are they members of the ABC2000 domain or of the ABC20000 domain? If it is the latter, you may want to unjoin (not sure that's actually a word)then rejoin the domain.

 

[AceHigh1234]

I've tried "unjoining" and rejoing the machines several times, and avctually replacing one of them with a brand new machine (for a differnt reason...) when I join the network, I join abc2000.local, but the windows logon screen still shows abc20000.local as the domain...

 

[AceHigh1234]

any further suggestions?

 

[pgaliardo]

Did you get a chance to post the IPCONFIG/ALL results? And did you delete those host files?