Solved: 2000 Server...DNS used to work... not anymore :(

[1click]

Something happened... Not sure what caused it. 1 of three possibilities. At the risk of writing a book I'll provide as much info as possible to assit in a diagnosis. OS is Windows 2000 Server, SP4, running AD, DNS and DHCP, with a DSL Router appx 18 clients. Running Raid 5, 3 18 Gb SCSI’s, Virtual Disk, C Drive is 4 Gb, D Drive has balance at about 40 GB, Server is at 128.10.0.100, gateway 128.10.0.101, other IP’s the server used to answer on were .102 and .103 Why, not sure I didn’t dig that deep. Machines cannot ping the server or the gateway anymore and obiously no Internet.
Here's some of the errors I’m getting in the event log:
1) The DNS server was unable to complete directory service enumeration of zone .. This DNS server is configured to use information obtained from Active Directory for this zone and is unable to load the zone without it. Check that the Active Directory is functioning properly and repeat enumeration of the zone.
2) The DHCP/BINL service has determined that it is not authorized to service clients on this network for the Windows domain…
3) The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer XP-JEFF-HYG that believes that it is the master browser for the domain on transport NetBT_Tcpip_{C1B9631F-DFB8-41. The master browser is stopping or an election is being forced
4) WMI ADAP was unable to create object index 2050 for Performance Library InetInfo because no value was found in the 009 subkey, also have same error for SMTPSVC, RSVP, and NTDS.

Here’s the things that have changed, some may be the problem
1) Shut the entire network down to install an additional 16 port switch (autosensing) and a 24 port patch panel
2) Server was running out of space on C and for a number of reasons a resize was not in the cards, so we moved and deleted stuff on C a couple of the things we moved were the i386 directory to D, and the Inetpub directory
3) One of the client machines recently contracted an extortion type trojan, "download our program and your problem will go away."

From the research I’ve done, it seems that change # 1 above might be the culprit, M$ says” This behavior may occur if the IP address of the original DHCP server has changed.

Any help would be appreciated, everybody comes back to work Monday,

I'm not an AD Guru by any means and didn't think that putting a Patch panel, another switch and actually wiring everything right would cause such a headache. Who knows maybe it had nothing to do with it.

Thanx Mike[/FONT]

 

[pinntech]

Hi..

I would say that your biggest issue is NUMBER 2 listed at the top (DHCP/BINL).

I’m not absolutely sure how to resolve it, but here is a link that describes it a little:

http://www.chicagotech.net/troubleshooting/eventid1051.htm

However, here is another one from Microsoft…

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/reskit/w2000Msgs/5035.mspx?mfr=true

Also, is there anything else on the network that might be giving out DHCP addresses? Another server, a router or anything?

Check the IP addresses on your workstations and see what they are!

Here is some information on DHCP…

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=300429

I don’t really see how your patch panel and/or switch could be causing the problems as long as they are wired correctly. Is it a managed switch or unmanaged switch?

An lastly… are you using DHCP or using STATIC IP’s?

Thanks!

Shane

 

[1click]

>Also, is there anything else on the network that might be giving out DHCP addresses? Another server, a router or anything?

The router is an old DSL, looked at it, nothing there for DHCP, so old I can't even forward a port to log in and try and fix stuff.


>I don’t really see how your patch panel and/or switch could be causing the problems as long as they are wired correctly. Is it a managed switch or unmanaged switch?

Unmanaged Dell 2216


>An lastly… are you using DHCP or using STATIC IP’s?

Some machines are DHCP, the one we installed have been set to static. FWIW DHCP is set for .50 thru .83

One thing failed to mention, when I plugged the server directly in to the router, (bypassing switches and the network) I got out to the net.

I'll have a look at the links.

I'm thinking worst case Monday morning, Kill the DNS on the server, hit every workstation set DNS to the router, and set them all static and whistle the issue dead? Especially since I'm not an active Directory wizard.

If I go that route, any suggestions or "watch outs" to make it work smooth?
Reason I ask, I remember the first time I demoted a PDC, removed a Domain and couldn't figure out why the server shut down every 2 hours. Guess Micro$oft doesn't want people to walk away from the full blown config once it's set up.

Thanx for trying to help!

 

[1click]

Also forgot to mention with regard to the IP changing for the PDC, as the possible problem, wondering if there is a network printer or something running that when I brought the network back up on the patch panel and new switch that picked up the address of the server?? shouldn't have though because there isn't another server and the router has DHCp disabled

 

[pinntech]

Actually, you should not have to kill the DNS on the server, I'd try pointing the workstations to first the ROUTER and as a secondary DNS, the server.

Are you running WINS? If not and you have workstations communicating to the servers, you may have issues if you kill DNS on the server.

I'd look deeper before killing the DNS.

 

[1click]

Got it fixed.

I found multiple issues:
1) I had to re-authorize the DHCP server
2) The older Dell 2016 switch had a few bad ports on it
3) Some of the old drops at the some of the machines were wired 568A and when I put the patch panel in, of course I punched everything down to 568B, so I snipped the RJ45’s off at each of those and re-wired them to 568B.
4) I punched down 2 of the cables that weren’t plugged in to the switch. Thinking they were just out of room on the switch, (that's why I had to add a new switch in the first place) I punched them down...turns out those two made some kind of network loop when I plugged them into the switch they killed the network.

So I started with just the server and the router plugged into the new Dell switch, got to the Internet, then I plugged everything in one at a time until I found the 2 bad guy drops. Then went around to the client machines and the ones with out links (network cable unplugged-message) I looked at the ends and sure enough wired wrong from the people who wired it 8 years ago. Snipped the ends and put new jacks on and whalla everything works. What a test of patience?

What a fiasco! The biggest issue that made everything stupid was item #4, the network loop, once that happened, nothing would talk across the network to anything.

Thanks so much for taking the time to give some good advice.

Mike

 

[pinntech]

I would love to hear the answer to #4 as in how it created a loopback! That would be interesting.

Yes, those bad ports will kick your butt too. I know, I have CISCO 38xx that has four bad ports on it too. What is worse than bad ports? Bad cables or improperly climped or punched ones! I've been through it all! LOL

You are welcome and please be sure to mark your thread as solved!

Have fun!

Shane