DNS Issue not resolving?

[josh0227]

I am having an issue with DNS... I think. When I try to apply a GPO to a user, nothing happens on the client (xp workstation). The following is the message I get in event viewer on the workstation:

Windows cannot obtain the domain controller name for your computer network. (the specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted). Group policy aborted.

I'm not that familliar with DNS yet, so could someone tell me what this means and how to resolve it?

Thanks!

 

[josh0227]

Also, it appears that the reverse lookup zones in DNS are not configured. Would this make a difference?

 

[josh0227]

Also, we are not running DHCP from the server... we are letting the router hand them out. Does that make a difference?

 

[Davetoo]

Why are you letting your router hand out IP's?

Configure your server properly to run DNS and DHCP...you tell DHCP about your DNS server so that your clients get that information. If your router is handing out IP's but not proper DNS info, then it won't work for obvious reasons.

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[josh0227]

Well, the guy here before me used the router to hand them out b/c we only have 1 main server. He said that DHCP takes up too many resources (18%) on the server. I haven't touched it b/c of that.

 

[josh0227]

How much bandwidth does DHCP use?

 

[Davetoo]

How many clients are connecting on your network?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[josh0227]

35

 

[Electro121]

Hi Josh,

DHCP should not be hogging resources that much especially with only 35 clients depending how it was setup. However, you may have an older piece of hardware and a lot of other things running that need the resources so enough said.

I would try to narrow things down first a little bit...

1) Is this the only client in the office having the problem?

2) Check the network card settings on the workstation and verify they are set the same as another known working workstation.

3) Do an ipconfig /all on both the working workstation and the non-working workstation and verify the DNS IP's are correct / the same.

4) Has this machine every worked on the network previously? It is possible that the machine ID has become corrupt? Possibly you will need to remove the machine from the domain and rejoin the machine to the domain. WARNING: When you do this make sure you know the local administrator ID / Password (to many times I've forgotten and it has caused some grief).

These are a few starting points anyways. Keep me posted and I'll see if I can think of anything else based on the results...

Thanks!

Darryl Brambilla
IT Manager

 

[josh0227]

This happens on all of the machines in the network. I have been testing it on mine, and on a few others, but the same message keeps popping up in event viewer. I have already done the Iconfig test and everything is fine. The server is 2000, and is kind of old. I would like to use DHCP however I do not want it to decrease the performance of the network and am kind of shaky on making any drastic changes like that right now.
I am trying to get things organized in OU's in AD, b/c the permissions and user accounts are all over the place. The guy before me was a bit messy.
Does DNS have to work hand in hand with DHCP in order for a GPO to work?
Note: I am also having problems pinging FQDN's, but not IP's.

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