The system cannot contact a domain controller, random problem.


Recommended Posts

This is a new Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials setup, This server is basically running everything on the network as you would probably expect with an essentials setup, all the client PC?s are running Windows 8.1 Pro with Update 1 and are fully patched.

It is a pretty much out the box essentials setup integrated with Office 365 and Windows Azure (For an additional offsite backup) I have added a few additional group policy settings for mapping Network Printers, the Desktop Configuration (e.g. to disable the tablet lock screen) along with opening up open some ports on the client PC?s firewall as required for Sophos Endpoint Security to be deployed.

This has been running for around a month now with only one re occurring issue, randomly when users log on to their PC Windows asks the user to enter their Domain Credentials:

23ra3pv.jpg

?The system cannot contact a domain controller to service the authentication request, please try again later.?

This happened randomly to one user on the Monday after I had set the new network up, however this week its happened to that user again, along with three other users now. It appears once the user has logged on Windows is forgetting the users Domain Credentials:

 

21d0x2a.jpg

 

This basically means folder redirection does not work, no files can be accessed on the server, no printers, about all the user can do is access the internet.

When this has happened adding the user?s Domain Credentials in the Credentials manager appears to have fixed the problem, however im concerned about it happening again, and to other users.

 

1692t08.jpg

 

Basically I?m wondering if anyone has any idea what might randomly cause this, or how I could go about troubleshooting the issue? it really does appear to be very random when this happens.

Thank you!

network settings...

 

do an ipconfig/all on both the server and the client workstation and post them here.  if you don't want them posted pm me. 

 

 

 

99.999% of the time it is an improper configuration on your network card settings, pointing to a dns server out on the web and not the dc as your dns server.  also your server can only be the dns, there cannot be any internet dns servers setup on your nic cards of both the server and the workstations.  the server needs to point to itself, and the workstations need to point to the server for all dns resolution.  the dns service on the server will determine where to send the clients/server when it does a look up.

 

.001% of the time there is something going on and we will need to look at the eventlog to determine.  But being that an improper configuration is the most common cause by a landslide, lets look at your network card configuration on the computer and server.

I have sent you a PM with a full ipconfig from the server and a client PC

 

Thank you in advance for any insight in to this issue.

Domain controller should not be dhcp, I think you will find issues in the log regarding this.

When doing a dc promo, or running the wizard, I am positive it throws up a big warning about dhcp and forces you to manually set the address of the nic before continuing.

I don't think the dns service likes this either and you may see log entries the dns event viewer.

  • Like 1
  On 03/06/2014 at 17:24, sc302 said:

Domain controller should not be dhcp, I think you will find issues in the log regarding this.

When doing a dc promo, or running the wizard, I am positive it throws up a big warning about dhcp and forces you to manually set the address of the nic before continuing.

I don't think the dns service likes this either and you may see log entries the dns event viewer.

Thanks for the advice sc302, I had set the server to always be assigned the same IP address by the router, however that clearly causes issues!

Everything appears to be ok since manually assigning the IP address, and ensuring the servers DNS was set to the same as the servers IP address.

A newbie mistake I have certainly learned from, thanks once again :)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • That's not Pinocchio. That's a twink boy with a robot arm. Even the puppet is a lie in Lies of P!
    • I have a question on W11. Do VLC Player ( not the Store version ) and QBitorrent work with W11?
    • Splitgate 2 gets a surprise battle royale mode just as the free-to-play game releases by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe The highly anticipated arena shooter with portals, Splitgate 2, has just been released across PC and consoles as a free-to-play experience. At the same time, the studio head appeared on the Summer Game Fest showcase's stage today with a surprise reveal, showing off a brand-new battle royale mode that is a part of the game and is also launching today for free. Watch the action-packed trailer above. The sci-fi shooter franchise by 1047 Games has not breached the battle royale space before, but it seems the studio has been working secretly on the project all this time for this surprise reveal and launch. The Splitgate 2 battle royale mode features 60-player showdowns, letting 15 teams, each with four players, compete with each other to be the last squad standing. The map is touted as being an interconnected, gigantic colosseum with five biomes, and players will have to go through massive World Portals to reach each of them and hopefully take down anyone on the other side. "Choose where to drop in across Drought’s scorching desert, Glacier’s slick snowscape, Inferno’s active volcano, or Fracture’s cluster of asteroids," explains the developer. "After landing, players who stay in the match long enough will gain access to a fifth biome – the central area of Sanctum’s foreboding ruins, which offers special, powerful loot for those who can survive sparring to get it." Being a battle royale, there are chests to loot for better armaments, fast-paced action, map events to change up the atmosphere, and plenty of quick action to jump into. Aside from the new mode, with the Splitgate 2 full launch, the studio has delivered four new maps to the arena mode, a fresh map-creating template, as well as the Gravitas Shotgun as a brand-new weapon. It is also working on implementing a ranked mode, even more maps, map reskins, and more content as part of its post-launch support plans. Splitgate 2 is now available on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
    • I hate that they have removed settings that we once had, and had them for what feels like forever. Until now.   My desktop icon font are too thin, and too small now in Windows 11 since the last Windows Update. I have been using Winareo Tweaker to set the icon font to bold, and to change the size to a size larger. Now I have to do it twice, loggin out and back in each time, before it finally takes effect on the third time. But wait.... it gets worse. Once the system is shutdown, and turned back on the next day, all of those icon settings are reset to thin, and small.   I see no reason for the previous font customization options we always had now being removed. SO upsetting.   Boo Microsoft. Updates are suppose to be 'better', not removing options we had previously. This is horrible.
    • FWIW the Arc browser is now in "Maintenance Mode" with its developers shifting priorities to a new browser paradigm called Dia -- so investing time/effort into Arc is not recommended (even by the developers themselves!)
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      daelos earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      daelos earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Mentor
      Karlston went up a rank
      Mentor
    • One Month Later
      EdwardFranciscoVilla earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      MoyaM earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      492
    2. 2
      snowy owl
      256
    3. 3
      +FloatingFatMan
      252
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      212
    5. 5
      Xenon
      150
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!