Problems joining the domain with SE 2012

Discussion in 'Windows Server' started by viney, Jul 15, 2014.

  1. viney

    viney MDL Novice

    Jul 15, 2014
    2
    0
    0
    #1 viney, Jul 15, 2014
    Hey guys and girls
    I have a little problem which I am hoping someone can help me with

    My boss has asked me to set up a network in our office with 10 users
    So I got an ML310 gen 8 server with Server Essentials 2012

    this my first time using SE 2012 in fact 2003 was the last server i worked on a few years back

    anyway it was so easy to set up UNTIL...................... i tried to join the domain...............
    everything was so simple i couldn't believe it but when i tried to join the first computer onto the domain it wouldn't accept it saying it was a DNS error after a fairly lengthy period
    I tried through //servername/connect and also did it the old fashioned way through my computer properties
    it's the strangest thing
    I can map network drives. get into iLO. I can see the server on the network
    The server is a domain controller
    I have tried logging in with both admin rights and user rights but still no success

    does anyone have any ideas?
     
  2. viney

    viney MDL Novice

    Jul 15, 2014
    2
    0
    0
    #2 viney, Jul 15, 2014 (OP)
    a little bit more info for you
    we had a wireless peer to peer network with everyone connecting to the modem router
    the building has ethernet so the server is connected via ethernet while user's laptops are connected wirelessly
    the modem/router can see all machines including server
     
  3. boss1921

    boss1921 MDL Novice

    Sep 29, 2009
    45
    16
    0
    #3 boss1921, Jul 15, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2014
  4. Myrrh

    Myrrh MDL Expert

    Nov 26, 2008
    1,511
    627
    60
    #4 Myrrh, Jul 16, 2014
    When you add a server, specifically when you start using Active Directory, it's best if you have DHCP and DNS handled by the AD servers. Turn that on and configure DHCP for the local address space you want. Turn off the DHCP server in your router. If your client machines are getting IP and DNS from the router, they can't find the Active Directory.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  5. mightymoose

    mightymoose MDL Junior Member

    Dec 4, 2009
    72
    2
    0
    #5 mightymoose, Jul 19, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2014
    It isn't really THAT important that DHCP/DNS be provided by the domain - at my workplace, DHCP/DNS is handled by Unix servers and AD plays a very diminished role in the environment. What IS important is that DNS on the server you want to add to the domain be overridden from what DHCP may be providing and POINTED at the Active Directory Integrated DNS (usually AD Domain controllers). Now when you add the server to the domain, provide credentials from someone who is in the Domain Admins group like this - domain\username - and the password and it should have no problems.

    I might even go so far as to say that the ONLY DNS you want to point to on the server to add to the domain be AD Integrated DNS Servers. Sometimes when I even had the third DNS in the list be a Unix DNS server, it fails. Windows seems to be very picky that it only wants to see AD DNS servers in the mix.

    Moose