"Duplicate name on the network" resolution

[djhawthorn]

I've had problems before where I reboot a server, and it comes up, "sees" itself on the network, and as such can't start half it's services with the error "There is a duplicate name on the network". My solution (until now) has been to rip the network cable out the back, reboot it, and once its come up and started all its services, plug the network cable back in.

Is there a nicer way around this problem? The server in question is a BDC, running no networky services as such. (They are installed, but all in the disabled state as a backup if the PDC (which runs all the DHCP/DNS/WINS services) should die).

That server at the moment is running all its services, but can't "see" the PDC, and so is not replicating the SAM database. In fact it can't see much on the network itself, although it can ping and resolve DNS names just fine. I really need this fixed.

I am thinking that if I reboot it now it should come up fine - it's only because the PDC had the same problem with a duplicate name, and got rebooted after the BDC got "fixed", that it can't see the PDC/network. But I'd like to get around this silly duplicate name problem, when there isn't a duplicate name at all.

I've tried clearing out WINS entires before, and that doesn't help. It may be because we replicate to about a half dozen other WINS servers, and any tombstoning/deletion just gets replicated back, I don't know.

Any other suggestions?

 

[machinetype]

I think you answered the question by yourself. The only way it would be getting these messages is by Wins or another name service. Have you removed the entry from the primary WINS server? Or did you remove it from a Secondary?

As taken from a windows site:

I can't locate the source of "duplicate name" error messages.

Cause: You might need to manually remove static records, or enable static mappings to be overwritten during replication.

Solution: If the duplicate name exists already as a static mapping, you can tombstone or delete the entry. If possible, this should be done at the WINS server that owns the static mapping for the duplicate name record. As a preventive measure, in cases where a static mapping needs to be replaced and updated by a dynamic mapping, you can also enable Overwrite unique static mappings at this server (migrate on) in Replication Partners Properties.

Hope This Helps...

SLM

 

[hchman]

Somewhere on your network is a computer that has the same computer name. Either find it and change the computer ID or change the BDC computer name.

 

[devastator]

I had a similiar problem with dual nics installed on my server. Even though they were configured with different ip's they cause conflicts with each other. Once i replaced one of the (first tested theory by removing one nic) nics everything worked fine. Seemed the nic was faulty since I replaced it with the same type of NIC, just new out of the box. The other NIC was onboard so there it was easier just to remove the extra nic.


Drew

 

[djhawthorn]

hchman: I guarentee there is no duplicate named PC on the network, and although "rename the BDC" sounds nice in theory, when you have its name referenced in hundrerds of PCs in the company, renaming it is not an option.

Shutting down the WINS Server (stopping the service) while the BDC was rebooting seems to have fixed the problem. MCSE NT4/W2K