Possible DNS problem Windows 2003

[otto58]

I have an office with a brand new DELL Server running windows 2003 standard edition. I have three workstations
that are running Windows XP Prof. I also have a Fax server
that is running Windows 2000. They all are part of a domain example: insurance.com

My problem is this... Both servers are powered on 24/7. When all workstations are powered on in the morning and the users log in to the domain everything works fine. As the day progresses and the users need to send a fax and they try to access the fax program via the desktop icon on the workstation. The user gets an error message that the server has been moved or is no longer available. Yet I can still ping the server by it's static IP address. Also, I created a mapped network drive on the workstations. If you try to access the server this way, you get prompted for a username and password. I have all user accounts and computers in the 2003 server running DNS with all correct permissions. This is proven by the fact that when you have trouble with accessability and function, all you need to do is restart and re-authenticate to the domain and everything works fine again. It is either a DNS problem or something is timing out. I can not figure it out. Can anyone help?

Otto58

 

[twwabw]

A few basics for DNS w/an AD Domain:
1- configure DNS on the server ; set the server's DNS settings to point to ITSELF, and NOT your ISP's DNS servers. Configure DNS forwarders on the server to point to your ISP for external internet resolution.

2- Make sure there is only one DHCP server running- if you had one on your router, turn it off. Configure DHCP on the server, and configure all scope options, including DNS pointing to the SERVER, and NOT the ISP.

3- Set clients to use DHCP from your newly configured DHCP server. Alternatively, if you need or want to set up workstations with static IPs, then configure their settings to point to your server ONLY for DNS. Remove any reference to the ISP DNS servers.

DNS is the likely cause of all your problems. AD relies heavily on it, and if it is not configured correctly, you will experience the same kind of problems you're having. Your clients are likely using netbios (yep- it's still around) at startup to find the DC, but losing that throughout the day.

As an aside, you mentioned you configured your FQDN as "mydomain.COM". This is generally not the best practice, and is recommended to configure as a non-valid extension such as "mydomain.local". There are circumstances when naming your domain with a ".com" extension is appropriate, but this is usually not the case.

 

[twwabw]

Also curious why you bought 2003 Standard Edition for such a small network, instead of Small Business Server? It would have saved you some $$, and given you additional features.

 

[otto58]

twwabw,
Thanks for the info and recommendations. The small business edition had features the would interfere with the office manager software that is being used. I beleive that there was no additional cost as it came pre-installed from DELL.