I have a Dell PE 2900 that I am installing Windows Server 2003 standard on to function as a DC, file/print, DHCP server for a small business. I've installed and set up several other 2003 servers and have never run into this nightmare I find myself in now. I've installed 2003 and setup the server twice and I'm right back to square zero. The OS CD is 2003 Standard SP1. After that is installed, then SP2 is installed. The first time DCPROMO was run I was unable to install DNS at the same time because the OS CD was unavailable (I was doing this remotely, the OS had been installed onsite at a coworkers place). I finally got him to put the CD in the drive and then I installed DNS. It's a pretty standard setup, no customization. I like to have a reverse zone so I set that up manually. Then I go about installing patches to bring it up to date. I set time to get it's time from an external source. And I did a few other minor things like ensuring the server looked to itself for DNS resolution, disabling unused NIC, etc. Dell Open Administrator Server Tools was installed along with Dell Server updates. Things seemed to be fine and then I started getting all sorts of errors in the App, System, and DNS logs and the forward and reverse zones just disappeared and I couldn't re-create them unless I did so withOUT AD integration I googled them for hours trying one solution after another until I finally came across a thread about one of the errors that said the server's machine account password needed to be reset using Netdom. I did that and then things started working again and I could integrate the DNS zones into AD. Things hummed along for a day or two and then they started falling apart again with most, if not all, of the same errors I had seen before in the Event Logs. At this point I said forget it and told the coworker to wipe and reinstall the OS. This was done and it was a smooth install again with all the steps as stated above only DNS was installed along with AD since the CD was in the drive this time. This time things only ran okay for a couple of hours and then all the errors started up again, the forward and reverse DNS zones disappeared and we were right back where we started. Events include: App - Userenv 1053; System - Errors DHCPServer 1046 & 1059, Netlogon 5774, Warnings LsaSrv 40960, Netlogon 5781; DNS errors 4000, 4004, 4007, 4015 and DNS Warnings 4515, 4521, 4013 (4013 especially). Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? Has anyone run into this? I'm banging my head on the wall about this one. JL

At what point are you disabling the second NIC? I would suggest doing this before installing DNS and AD. At this point make sure DNS is bound only to the active NIC in the DNS management console under Interfaces. Also verify all DNS entries are correct, and DNS on the active NIC points only to the active IP of the server. I would also verify the binding order of the NICs under network connections | advanced (on the menu bar) | advanced | adapters and bindings, is correct.Rob Williams

I am in agreement with Rob's suggestion. Also, refer following URLs http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316685 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc735696(WS.10).aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc774603(WS.10).aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/267855 http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/event-id-4521-dns-server-active-directory-integration.aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/867464 Thanks, Santosh (MCTS W2K8 AD and SCCM) To Infinity and Beyond

At what point are you disabling the second NIC? I would suggest doing this before installing DNS and AD. At this point make sure DNS is bound only to the active NIC in the DNS management console under Interfaces. Also verify all DNS entries are correct, and DNS on the active NIC points only to the active IP of the server. I would also verify the binding order of the NICs under network connections | advanced (on the menu bar) | advanced | adapters and bindings, is correct. Rob Williams All good ideas. DNS is bound only to the active NIC as I set that during DNS config. All DNS entries are verified and the active NIC points only to the server itself which is a must. I also had set the binding order which is something I automatically do and I'm sorry I forgot to mention it. Just too many details to remember to relate earlier. JL

I am in agreement with Rob's suggestion. Also, refer following URLs http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316685 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc735696(WS.10).aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc774603(WS.10).aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/267855 http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/event-id-4521-dns-server-active-directory-integration.aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/867464 Thanks, Santosh (MCTS W2K8 AD and SCCM) “ To Infinity and Beyond… ” Thanks for the links. I checked them out but either they don't apply in my case or I've already been there and didn't find a solution. My co-worker did find one item that just may be the cause of all of this. A NAS was set up on the network with the server and joined to the domain. He was checking it out, I guess trying to leave no stone unturned, and found that the NAS had the same name as the server. Of course this is a no-no. So he renamed the NAS and I just checked the server's event logs and they look almost clean since he did that. So I'm starting to think and hope that that was the source of all the trouble. It does make sense since the problem only began after the server was promoted to DC and DNS installed. Thanks for the help guys, I'll let you know if this does indeed clear up the situation.

That would definitely do it but would there not have been a DNS entry for both IP's with the same name when looking for incorrect entries earlier?Rob Williams

I beleive, the problematic server is not on production yet. Assuming that, here are my few more cents... Uninstall DNS service, Reboot the DC and Reinstall the DNS and configure rest of the desired DNS settings to see issue gets resolved. convert dns to primary zone (uncheck integrate with active directory) remove dns in configure your server remove dns folder from system32 in system32\config remove netlogon.dnb and netlogon.dns reinstall dns (configure your server) with the correct zone name then at the command prompt: ipconfig /registerdns net stop netlogon net start netlogon Hope it helps.Thanks, Santosh (MCTS W2K8 AD and SCCM) To Infinity and Beyond

You mentioned that server is configured to look to itself for name resolution ,just please make is not using loop back address, we usually recommend using the actual LAN IP of the server. Thanks. Tiger Li Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. The server's IP is the primary IP for name resolution, loopback is secondary. This is to avoid problems we have seen in the past where the switch goes down and when only the server's IP is there it makes DNS go crazy. So we always now put IP first, loopback second. JL

I beleive, the problematic server is not on production yet. Assuming that, here are my few more cents... Uninstall DNS service, Reboot the DC and Reinstall the DNS and configure rest of the desired DNS settings to see issue gets resolved. convert dns to primary zone (uncheck integrate with active directory) remove dns in configure your server remove dns folder from system32 in system32\config remove netlogon.dnb and netlogon.dns reinstall dns (configure your server) with the correct zone name then at the command prompt: ipconfig /registerdns net stop netlogon net start netlogon Hope it helps. Thanks, Santosh (MCTS W2K8 AD and SCCM) “ To Infinity and Beyond… ” That is basically the process I used the first time this happened except I didn't think to delete the folders. But unless it acts up again I'm not messing with it. And yes it's not in production yet. Ever since the NAS was renamed so it does not have the same name as the server, there has not been a single warning or error in the event logs. So it sure is looking to me as that was the cause of the problem. We will continue to monitor it for the next few days and if it keeps up like this I think we will conclude that the problem is resolved. JL

That would definitely do it but would there not have been a DNS entry for both IP's with the same name when looking for incorrect entries earlier? Rob Williams There should have been but there weren't. I can only surmise that because the duplicate names existed prior to the promotion and install of DNS that that somehow it so thoroughly confused DNS that it couldn't register the second name. We will probably never know why both didn't have an entry. But as long as it continues to work, I prefer to put the whole thing behind me. JL

You mentioned that server is configured to look to itself for name resolution ,just please make is not using loop back address, we usually recommend using the actual LAN IP of the server. Thanks. Tiger LiPlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.