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Win2k Logon Problem

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19 replies

by tomas

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We are in the process of upgrading a worldwide NT4 domain to Win2K. (A BDC in each office. WAN links between offices in different countries consists of relatively slow VPN connections in RRAS). We have upgraded the PDC (located in Sweden) to Win2k, and everything works fine. The problem is that the administrator in Germany recently installed a Win2k Pro laptop. In Germany they run their own local NT4 DNS server, but I suppose the Win2k client became aware of the Win2k server in Sweden when the laptop joined the domain. Now the laptop only logs on to the Win2k server in Sweden, resulting in long logon times and scripts not running. (Each office have their own scripts on their own BDC). What can I do to make the laptop logon to the local NT4BDC instead of the Win2k server in Sweden? (We cannot upgrade the servers in Germany for another two months, and more workstations with preinstalled Win2k Pro are on their way...)

19 replies

by oop

In Win2k server, you must have to configure DNS server for the Domain and AD services, Your NT4 BDC must know the DNS server of your Win2k, register your local DNS server with Win2k server as well. During logon your laptop will checking the DNS of Win2k instead of local DNS Server.......

by tomas

DNS for domain and AD services are already configured. This won't help since the local DNS server in Germany still won't contain any records with Win2K logon servers for Germany. The only record that exists with a Win2k logon server is the record with the Swedish server, which makes the laptop log on to the wrong server anyway...

by swilliam

you may want to look at deploying active directory and establishing different sites. you would likely have multiple sites (i.e. one for germany, one for sweden), each seperated by a wan link. you can assign "costs" to the links between sites, such that the "cost" of crossing the wan from germany to sweden would be high enough to force/influence the client systems to try contacting a dc in their site first. this will take some time, but is a step you will want to do anyways...

by tomas

What you are suggesting is, as you say, things we will do anyways. But, the problem still is that we can't deploy AD in Germany yet. Establishing sites in AD now would do us no good, since none of the other sites would have any Win2k DCs to take logon requests. What I need is a way to make the German clients use WINS instead of DNS to find a DC. I wonder what will happen if I configure TCP/IP on the clients without any DNS servers?!? (They really don't need DNS as this stage anyways...)

by allan

You kind of answered your own question.
Remove the DNS reference and point the laptop to the WINS server in Germany.

by tomas

Didn't help. When the laptop contacts the PDC to create a computer account, with help from the Domain #1B record in WINS, it recognizes the PDC as a Win2K server and won't log on to any other server.

by james_randy

If you are still tackling this problem, perhaps you should consider calling your local super-hero.

by estebandelatorre

Double check if the laptop is able to resolve dns to the local BDC, if not she will try to log where she can resolve!
also: Who is delivering IP, nt4.0 , W2k or fixed?

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