PCs authenticating with wrong Domain Server

[Johnny Wright]

We have recently begun our migration from a Windows NT 4.0 domain to a
Windows 2003 domain. We have set up with one forest that includes 3
separate domains. There is one domain in the US, one in Canada and one in
Europe. We are putting a domain controller for each domain in each country.
By this I mean there will be a domain controller for the European domain in
Canada and the US so that when user travel to these location their logon
will be much faster. The same rule applies to Canada and the US.

Until 2 days ago there was a two way trust between the NT 4.0 domain in
Europe and the NT 4.0 domain in Canada.

Recently the administrator in Europe has noticed while looking in the
netlogon.log file that some (30 or so) of the PCs from Canada appear to be
authenticating on the domain controller in Europe. There are two sites in
Canada, one site has 2 domain controllers and the other site has 1 domain
controller.

Can anyone shed any light as to why this would be happening?

[Eric]

Your users will ALWAYS authenticate to whichever DC for
that domain responds first no matter where the DC is
located.

>-----Original Message-----
>We have recently begun our migration from a Windows NT

4.0 domain to a

>Windows 2003 domain. We have set up with one forest that

includes 3

>separate domains. There is one domain in the US, one in

Canada and one in

>Europe. We are putting a domain controller for each

domain in each country.

>By this I mean there will be a domain controller for the

European domain in

>Canada and the US so that when user travel to these

location their logon

>will be much faster. The same rule applies to Canada and

the US.

>
>Until 2 days ago there was a two way trust between the NT

4.0 domain in

>Europe and the NT 4.0 domain in Canada.
>
>Recently the administrator in Europe has noticed while

looking in the

>netlogon.log file that some (30 or so) of the PCs from

Canada appear to be

>authenticating on the domain controller in Europe. There

are two sites in

>Canada, one site has 2 domain controllers and the other

site has 1 domain

>controller.
>
>Can anyone shed any light as to why this would be

happening?

>
>
>.
>

You need to properly configure different Sites in Active Directory Sites and
Services snap in and associate them with the correct subnets. Each Site also
needs at least one Global Catalog server, IIRC. Windows will always try to
contact a DC in the same site before those in others.

See
[url]http://www.microsoft.com/technet/Security/topics/issues/w2kccadm/adsites/w2kadm37.mspx[/url]
for a brief overview.

AndyC


"Johnny Wright" <lactoz@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eY8Tt8cSEHA.1172@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

> We have recently begun our migration from a Windows NT 4.0 domain to a
> Windows 2003 domain. We have set up with one forest that includes 3
> separate domains. There is one domain in the US, one in Canada and one in
> Europe. We are putting a domain controller for each domain in each

country.

> By this I mean there will be a domain controller for the European domain

in

> Canada and the US so that when user travel to these location their logon
> will be much faster. The same rule applies to Canada and the US.
>
> Until 2 days ago there was a two way trust between the NT 4.0 domain in
> Europe and the NT 4.0 domain in Canada.
>
> Recently the administrator in Europe has noticed while looking in the
> netlogon.log file that some (30 or so) of the PCs from Canada appear to be
> authenticating on the domain controller in Europe. There are two sites in
> Canada, one site has 2 domain controllers and the other site has 1 domain
> controller.
>
> Can anyone shed any light as to why this would be happening?
>
>