Member server forgets DNS

anything in the event logs on either server?
rebooting reliably gets things running again for a few days?
I'd go for free ms support on this one, i'd repost my message in a email to ms...
if you had an event id, source and description, maybe we could start with that...?

Q:anything in the event logs on either server?
A:Tons on the new server, but they are all in effect symptoms of not being able to find a DC

Q:rebooting reliably gets things running again for a few days?
A:yes, that is correct.

I'd go for free ms support on this one, i'd repost my message in a email to ms...
if you had an event id, source and description, maybe we could start with that...?
A: It's working now and I couldn't tell when the problem started so I cleared the event log and will watch it until the problem occurs again and report back.

humm. So how do clients [which includ member servers] get info on where to look? With static, there wouldn't be a question of DNS servers as you would have put them in manually. With DHCP you would need the options set for DNS server and default TTL in DHCP would be 7 days. 50% threshold at 3.5 days so after a couple of days there would be DHCP traffic for renew. Up until 7 days when the lease expires, workstations would be able to do what they do on cache. After expiring they wouldn't. A reboot would start the DHCP discover, ack, offer accept as if brand new. so it appears that DHCP traffic at the 50% threshold for renewal of a default of TTL 7 days goes unanswered by DHCP. Thats providing your running DHCP.

sounds like DHCP traffic over ehternet from that one station gets interrupted or blocked or the discover ack, accept blah blah isn't registering in DHCP. If its a member server, you might consider making it a static IP on the network and put in a reservation in DHCP for it. That way you don't have to muck with it. You can create an option in DHCP for it for whatever service its running on the network for network users.

Not running DHCP and there is still connectivity between member server and DC. i.e. I can ping the DC from the member server.

yeah, what he said....
if you browse support.microsoft.com mskb you may get the feeling you are encountering dhcp bug in 2003. they really do want you off dhcp and onto static, is my take on it...
hence my earlier suggestion to contact ms. thanks, CG. every day in every way a little more gets in my tiny brain...

check that the browsing service for the new server is turned off.

It could also be a netowrk card problem. try reinstalling the driver. Does this system only have one card running?

Under the network configuration TCP/IP-> DNS--> append DNS suffixes, make sure to add your domain name say server.mydomain.com so you will need to add mydomain.com.

Are you running wins? IT is starting to look like a browsing problem. But try the DNS fix first.

Last resort would be to remove it from the domain and add it back in. That would reset the accounts.

The machine facing this kind of problem,did u do any encounter any virus-like activity lately as the services for workstation,DHCP client,RPC's all accompanied by other services which include netlogon,network connections,Security accounts,server services do not have any dependencies or failure action implemented on them.Ensure that the recovery options are set for each of the above mentioned services have been set.
i am assumin that the cache which we are talkin abt is regularly checked for any other events.

primarily update antivirus,service fails on account of mailicious activity in the server.

check for dns is that working or not and try to install dns again and if that dosent workout then keep the memberserver as they r and try to install dc again and u can recover everything u need