Windows 2000 Server Domain Controller Errors

[acidosmosis]

These are a few warnings and errors that I noticed today in the Event Viewer's system log in Windows 2000 Server.

Was wondering if anyone might possibly have any idea what would cause these errors or how to diagnose them.

This Machine is a PDC of the domain at the root of the forest. Configure to sync from External time source using the net command, 'net time /setsntp:<server name>'.
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Because of repeated network problems, the time service has not been able to find a domain controller to synchronize with for a long time. To reduce network traffic, the time service will wait 960 minutes before trying again. No synchronization will take place during this interval, even if network connectivity is restored. Accumulated time errors may cause certain network operations to fail. To tell the time service that network connectivity has been restored and that it should resynchronize, execute "w32tm /s" from the command line.

Source: W32 Time
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To me the last one looks like something to do with Time sync, and Windows having trouble contacting the Microsoft time server.

These two errors showed up in the log a few times today.

Any ideas?

 

[Phantasm66]

As far as I know, this is just Windows trying to contact a machine that can be trusted to tell your server what the exactly correct time is.

I can't remember whether kerberos authentication actually needs the time to be synchronised throughout the domain, or whether it just moans about it, but doesn't actually stop working, etc...

On computers that are joined to a domain, time synchronization takes place when the W32Time service turns on during system startup. The Net Logon service looks for a domain controller that can authenticate and synchronize time with the client. When a domain controller is found, the client sends a request for time and waits for a reply from the domain controller. This communication is an exchange of SNTP packets intended to calculate the time offset and roundtrip delay between the two computers. (For complete information on SNTP packet structure, refer to RFC 1769).

If you now have more than one domain controller, have you gone into Active Directory Sites and Servers and forced replication?

I certainly can't recall any time that having this error stopped logging on, machines joining domains, etc. I'll eat my words if I am wrong, but I don't think this makes your domain fall over.

Looking in event viewer is a great idea, its a good way to learn about things and its pretty important in fact on a server to check it regularly. But don't stress too much about some of the messages.

Read about this service here :

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr.../windows2000serv/maintain/operate/wintime.asp

Your homework is to find out how to stop your server from trying to sync the time, and post how you did it here....

 

[acidosmosis]

Thanks Phant.

Oh btw, I got my administrator access back. I am now 100% full admin on the network.

I've been doing a lot of maintenance. Updating windows, liveupdate on Norton, defragging hard drives, looking at system logs, etc., just basic things.

You wouldnt believe how much I've done in the last week since I got admin back. If your wondering how I got it well I took it upon myself to fix a file server. (Another employee installed Windows 2003 Eval. BETA which obviously runs out after a certain amount of time and plus we had no license for 2003 Server). I fixed that computer and had it working better than it has as long as I've worked here all within an hour.

I also sent the owner a nice little email, half way bitching him out, and also basically saying that I felt like I needed to prove myself and what I can do (being the reason I took it upon myself to resetup that file server from scratch). The next day after I did these things I had my administrator access back.

 

[Phantasm66]

That's all very good news. Keep doing things like that.

However :

Originally posted by acidosmosis

I also sent the owner a nice little email, half way bitching him out, and also basically saying that I felt like I needed to prove myself and what I can do (being the reason I took it upon myself to resetup that file server from scratch). The next day after I did these things I had my administrator access back.

Think carefully before you do things like that. Something I have learned in working life is that its sometimes OK to say or hint at certain things, but NOT OK to put them in writing.

Be careful how you act with your boss. Even if you think he is a complete dumb ***, and you think that you could run everything better, let him think that you are doing great in your job as (partially) a result of his wise administration.

Remember that actions speak louder than words. Well, sometimes at least. Make your boss think that this success on your part is going to be just a pattern of behaviour over time, and that you are good at your job and someone that can be relied on.

 

[acidosmosis]

Well I didnt really ***** him out. I kind of bitched him out in a not blunt way I guess you could say. I basically just said hey look you need to give me a chance to show you what I can do and the last thing I said was I could've gotten more out of working at McDonalds then what I got working there.

At first he wasnt happy that I went and redid the file server but after he saw how well I did he pretty much changed his tune quickly.