O/T: Server 2003, question for the IT guys

I'm trying to set up my SOHO network, Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition. But...

I can ping the client pc(Windows 7) from the server by name and by IP. I can ping the server from the client by name only. Pinging by IP fails.

When I try to add the client to the domain by using the wizard, I get the error message "An Active Directory Domain Controller (AD DC) for the domain could not be contacted." Yes, the domain name is spelled correctly.

The Details of the error are: "No records found for given DNS query. (error code 0x0000251D DNS_INFO_NO_RECORDS)"

The query was for the SRV record for _ldap._tcp.dc_msdcs.Nubel.local.com

The server is configured as file server, print server, DHCP server, DNS server, remote access/VPN server and domain controller.

User and computer accounts for the client pc have been created on the server.

What am I missing??

Suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Anthony

Did you make the server IP address the DNS server entry setting for the client PC??

Are both machines plugged into the same switch?? Or is there a router in between them??



Howard

Yes, client DNS server is set to server IP address.

No router between the two PCs. They are connected through a hub and the hub runs to the router.

Sorry for leaving that info out.

Thanks,

Anthony

Been quite a while for me - but one problem I always had in the "old days" was having a space in the server name.

It'd cause all sorts of weird problems.

I'm sure microsoft has fixed that... but then again... it's microsoft.

Aside from that - you say the server's set to do dhcp - and you have a router - are you sure that router isn't always trying to do dhcp too?

What are you using for ip addresses / subnet mask? Doing anything odd there?

So, client PC is connected to the server through a hub that also connects both to a router? Hubs are stupid. Is no reason or way that a hub will block anything beyond bandwidth, and hubs are rare these days. Is very hard to find a hub anymore. I bought a 5 port hub about a year ago for a very specific job to be able to run packet tracing software on a specific switch port parallel to a piece of hardware, and locating that hub was nearly impossible. It was either do that or marry two switch ports through software, which was very specifically not authorized. In your case, is almost acting like you are using a layer 3 switch that is also a router that is not configured correctly with access list. Really is acting like you have a router between client PC and server though. Could even be a layer two switch like Cisco that is not configured correctly. Switches can be incredibly smart too.

But, if you are connected through a hub from a client PC to a server, and can talk to it through DNS, makes no sense that you cannot talk through IP address, unless IP leases are changing so incredibly fast that DNS is always correct, IP address through DHCP pool is changing. I doubt that is happening. But, IP config would tell you what your IP address is readily.

By the way, I'm not an IT guy, I'm a phone guy that the bosses told to study, go take CCNA. I took the test once, brutal, just brutal. Now I have to study more, go get beat up again. Right now, I lknow enough to be a moron with a headache. Thinking about some of this stuff makes my head want to explode.

Good luck.

Mark

Is that the ONLY DNS service for the client PC?

And does general internet DNS work for it??

If so, there is something peculiar (possibly wrong) about the DNS entry for the server.

But it also peculiar you can't ping the server by IP and that would not be directly tied to any DNS issue.

There can be several things to cause that - like firewall settings (including flaky firewall software no matter WHAT the settings say (I mean Norton!!)) and subnet mask mismatch are two I've seen recently.

Does the server have two NICs?? And/or are you messing around with dual subnet and/or secondary IP address definition on the server??

Have you joined any other PCs to the domain??

Howard