Win 2k group policy problem

[edie209]

Hi I have just recently taken over a network which at the moment is

2000 DC with DNS DHCP Exchange 2000
2000 server just acting as a file server
approx 180 XP pro clients

I have just ordered 2 new Dell servers and want to run 2003 server, exchange server 2003, dns and dhcp , I will probably use one of the two older servers as a 2003 member server aswell for SUS and RIS and ISA

But I have a few little problems that I need to sort out on the domain before I start.

Problem 1 clients can take nearly 2 mins to log on
Problem 2 some clients don't seem to be getting their programs in the start menu, but not all clients
Problem 3 if I look at the Group policies on an XP machine many of the GP entries are missing (for instance folder redirection), but if I look at the Group Policies on the 2K DC all the entries are there.

I do wonder if all these problems are connected through the Group policy problem. Am i correct in thinking the problems will persist when I upgrade the domain?

 

[kmcferrin]

It's hard to say. Windows XP and Windows 2000 each have different default group policy templates (adm files), so settings found in one are not necessarily found in the other. You should upgrade the templates in the 2000 server if you are going to be using it to manage XP workstations.

Regarding the login time, that can vary widely with what is happening at logon. In other words, running a resource intensive login script or one that performs lots of different functions could slow things down.

The workstation could also be waiting on resources that are unavailable. Having a single server acting as your sole DC and DNS server could be a bottleneck with 180 XP clients. AD relies heavily on DNS, as does web browsing and other popular network activities. You could be maxxing out that server. I would recommend looking into utilization of the DC to see if you're hitting the wall on CPU cycles or memory. If you are using folder redirection, roaming profiles, or other resource intensive policies this could definitely be the case.

Regardless, with the size of your network I would recommend that in your new enivironment you configure two servers to act as both DNS and domain controllers (if for no other reason that redundancy).

 

[edie209]

Thanks I will start checking that, with regards to the start Menu's they seem to be working properly today but does anyone have a explanation as to what might have happened?