Comments on: No domain controller available

By: jpdavey

jpdavey — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:14:30 +0000

I just had a problem recently where a workstation added itself to DNS as a Global Catalog server (under the _msdcs area of the domain’s DNS zone). Whenever another workstation refreshed its DNS and picked a new GC record, it sometimes picked that workstation, which was obviously not a real GC. You might check your DNS to make sure there aren’t odd records like that.

By: humblenetadmin

humblenetadmin — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:34:08 +0000

Would like not make a correction to my last post

Where I wrote;

Now you say that you cant log onto the machine as the domainadministrator. I assume your are referring to the PC that cant be logged onto at that time. If so, you would be able to log onto the PC even as the domainadministrator. Are the DC,s at each site Global Catalogs, or least is there a GC DC at each site?

The line; If so, you would be able to log onto the PC even as the domainadministrator.

Should have been; If so, you “would not” be able to log onto the PC even as the domainadministrator.

That is provided that its not just a single logon account that is failing, but any logon account failing on that PC at that time.

By: ptidwell

ptidwell — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:44:20 +0000

I am referring to the problem PC when I say I can’t log in to the domain as administrator but can log in to the local machine. The DC’s at each site are Global Catalogs.

By: humblenetadmin

humblenetadmin — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:31:52 +0000

By: ptidwell

ptidwell — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:13:00 +0000

To log into the machine, I have to choose the option to log into the local machine as Administrator. Cannot log in to the domain as Administrator.

By: pitt10

pitt10 — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 07:25:45 +0000

If you cannot log in as the administrator, how are you removing then re-adding it to the domain?

By: ptidwell

ptidwell — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:44:49 +0000

As previously stated, the issue normally only affect one user – not all users, and not always the same user. When it occurs we are not able to log in to the machine as administrator either so I don’t believe it is a password issue.

By: amigus

amigus — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:30:21 +0000

One month is the magic default time interval when machines are set to change their passwords. Could it be that the workstations in question fail to change their passwords and are thus locked out because they are expired?

As stated in other posts check out the GC configuration and make sure all the sites can access it. Also turn on auditing of security events (success, failure) and see if the workstations or users are having trouble changing passwords.

If you can figure out when it’s happening perhaps it’s due to VPN troubles or some temporary outage of network connectivity.

HTH

By: humblenetadmin

humblenetadmin — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:25:12 +0000

Sorry about that, Your correct, hmmmmm? Dont know were I got that from ???

By: ptidwell

ptidwell — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 12:33:12 +0000

DC’s communicate through TCP/IP