domain "location" not avail when additng members to a local group

[Boydicus]

The domain "location" is not available when adding members to a local group

I have win2k and winXPpro clients on a win2ksrv network. The clients have successfully joined the domain and all network functions seem good. However, when I go to a client, open local users and groups, open local Administrators, and then click "locations" so I can select a domain user, I see only the local machine as a potential search location.

When I first open the local admin group its members are the local administrator and an unresolved SSID that I assume is the domain admin group. Members of the domain admin group CAN log into the client and do have admin rights. But I cannot add a domain user, either entering domain/user notation directly or by picking the location.

I actually have two domains with this problem. One has win2k and xp clients on a win2k server. The other has winxp clients on a win2k3 server. The problem is identical in both situation. Both domains are new installs done by me, so I am thinking I must have missed something during the setup, tho I mostly accepted defaults and I can't believe this is a default behavior.

Any help would really really be appreciated!

 

[BuckWeet]

sounds like dns isn't setup correctly if at all..

 

[arkadiusz]

Check your DNS entires on the client machine, you may be pointing your primary & secondary dns to a different location other than your domain controller. In order for your client to see the active directory server, the primary dns server on the client has to point to your domain controller or whichever local dns server appears on your network that registers the active directory.

 

[Boydicus]

Actually, I did just set up ADDNS. Seems to be working correctly, and I have the primary DNS server assigned via dhcp set as the primary DC.

 

[Boydicus]

Just to clarify my last post: the dns seems to be working, but I still don't get the domain as a possible "location", only the local computer.

Any more ideas?

Thanks.

 

[karmic]

Check your event viewer on each machine, are you getting any "userenv" errors? Cannot find machine name?

Open a cmd prompt on a workstation and type:

IPCONFIG /ALL

Look at the DHCP and DNS servers. they both should have the address of the Domain Controller. If the addresses listed in the DNS servers are the internet DNS servers of your ISP, then you'll definitely have issues with the domain.

Make sure the statically assigned DNS server on the network properties of the server is the PDC IP address as well.

~ K.I.S.S - Don't make it any more complex than it has to be ~