Joining a win2k3 Domain

[Arcath]

Ive got a few macs for a school and i want to join them up to the schools domain, ive read the guide stuck in this forum and it doesnt help with the issue that im having.

 

They are running Mac OS 10.6.1

 

I can join my test mac upto the domain through System Preferences -> Accounts and then log out and login as any domain user fine. But every time i reboot it it looses its connection and when i look in accounts it has decided that the Domain is "not responding".

 

If i delete the connection and add it again its fine and i can logout and then in as any domain user.

 

I have set the AD Server as the time server.

 

I cant see anything wrong with how its setup.

 

Anyone know how i can make it pickup the domain again on boot?

[mbrunt]

Make sure that your macs are in sync with your time server, and that your domain controller is also in sync with said time server.

 

Open up Directory Utility (applications>utlities).

 

Go to services

 

Tick the Active Directory box and then double click on active directory. put in your domain and a computer it, and then click bind, and then ok.

[Arcath]

Make sure that your macs are in sync with your time server, and that your domain controller is also in sync with said time server.

 

set the DC as the time server for the macs

 

Open up Directory Utility (applications>utlities).

 

Go to services

 

Tick the Active Directory box and then double click on active directory. put in your domain and a computer it, and then click bind, and then ok.

 

Not got that utility on these macs.

 

but i performed the last step inside the account properties

[mbrunt]

ah yea of course you have snow leopard dont you?

 

Its the same thing through sys preferences anyway. What exactly is it doing once you bind?

[Arcath]

its not throwing up any errors, and i can re-bind again once it starts up without it erroring but it just wont re-connect on boot.

[AntonioRocco]

Hi

 

"Not got that utility on these macs"

 

You have. Apple moved it in 10.6. You can now find it in /System/Library/CoreServices. You should use the Advanced section available in the Active Directory Plug-in to configure mac clients correctly.

 

Your problem is more to do with Windows Servers (generally) are not very good (in my view) at keeping time. It might be better if you 'pointed' your DC to an upstream stratum NTP Server and then 'point' all your clients to that instead. There are known problems with 10.5 and 10.6 clients maintaining a persistent link to Active Directory. What is interesting is this not true for all locations. Clearly this seems to indicate a difference/problem between your environment and environments where the problem does not exist?

 

If you have access to another AD environment where the problem does not exist and compare it to yours then maybe you can begin to cure the problem?

 

Successful Integration is not only about Time Synchronization. Although it is important. More important still is a correctly configured and working DNS Service not based around .local. Apple have made it possible since 10.5.4 to allow client workstations to work with AD domains using .local however that's not a guarantee that it will work without problems. If your environment's domain is based around .local as the .TLD then you may have more success if you disable mDNS/Bonjour on your mac clients instead?

 

You could test this on one client and if successful do the rest? On a test client launch Terminal and issue this command:

 

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist

sudo reboot now

 

The mac should now reboot itself. Make sure you login as the local administrator before issuing the command. If you're new to the platform and you're being required to support it in your environment It might be advisable to enrol yourself on an approved Training Course?

 

Antonio Rocco (ACSA)

[mbrunt]

when you bind, you reboot your computer, and at the login screen you get what?

[Arcath]

Hi

 

"Not got that utility on these macs"

 

You have. Apple moved it in 10.6. You can now find it in /System/Library/CoreServices. You should use the Advanced section available in the Active Directory Plug-in to configure mac clients correctly.

 

Yeah thats the Same utility as the one i used to configure the domain connection

 

Your problem is more to do with Windows Servers (generally) are not very good (in my view) at keeping time. It might be better if you 'pointed' your DC to an upstream stratum NTP Server and then 'point' all your clients to that instead. There are known problems with 10.5 and 10.6 clients maintaining a persistent link to Active Directory. What is interesting is this not true for all locations. Clearly this seems to indicate a difference/problem between your environment and environments where the problem does not exist?

 

If you have access to another AD environment where the problem does not exist and compare it to yours then maybe you can begin to cure the problem?

 

Well im trying one of the macs on our office domain before i take it to the school and join it up to thiers so i could try it there aswell but id rather not take them in before im ready to hand them over.

 

Successful Integration is not only about Time Synchronization. Although it is important. More important still is a correctly configured and working DNS Service not based around .local. Apple have made it possible since 10.5.4 to allow client workstations to work with AD domains using .local however that's not a guarantee that it will work without problems. If your environment's domain is based around .local as the .TLD then you may have more success if you disable mDNS/Bonjour on your mac clients instead?

 

You could test this on one client and if successful do the rest? On a test client launch Terminal and issue this command:

 

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist

sudo reboot now

 

The mac should now reboot itself. Make sure you login as the local administrator before issuing the command. If you're new to the platform and you're being required to support it in your environment It might be advisable to enrol yourself on an approved Training Course?

 

Antonio Rocco (ACSA)

 

Both Domains are .local domains... so that might be where the problem is coming from

[mbrunt]

you have two domains? akk.

 

in your active directory, what home folder path do you have set for a user you are trying to get to logon?

[Arcath]

you have two domains? akk.

 

One here in our office for us and then one 10-12 miles away at the school, technically we have around 30 domains one in each school.

 

in your active directory, what home folder path do you have set for a user you are trying to get to logon?

 

here and at the school its pointed at \\SERVERNAME\folders\USER

[Arcath]

When i run:

 

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist

sudo reboot now

 

i cant join any domains, it complains about "node name not found"

 

Ive un done that change and it can now join domains no problems. but still after a reboot it cant see the domain and says its not responding

[mbrunt]

Hmm, have you tried doing a fresh install of mac os? And then binding to ad..

[AntonioRocco]

Hi

 

You have to add the domain name in the Search Domains field in the Network Preferences Pane. You could of course use your DHCP Service to do this for you. Can you resolve the DC on both pointers from a mac client? Try not to use ping. Use something actually useful instead, like nslookup, dig or host.

 

Whilst you're at it make sure your DC can resolve itself on both pointers also?

 

Antonio Rocco (ACSA)

[fil_b]

hi all

 

when binding to a windows network, are you mapping home/shared drives from a san

 

if so how are you doing this??

 

thanks

 

phil

[sidewinder]

You have exactly the same problem as I (and others) have had trying to bind with Snow Leopard. Everyone (including Apple) just said 'its a problem with your DNS' yet every test I ran came back fine.

Had to go back to 10.5 in the end and it all works flawlessly.

[fil_b]

You have exactly the same problem as I (and others) have had trying to bind with Snow Leopard. Everyone (including Apple) just said 'its a problem with your DNS' yet every test I ran came back fine.

Had to go back to 10.5 in the end and it all works flawlessly.

 

how have you got it working on 10.5? do you use an x serve?

 

tar

phil

[Arcath]

I solved this in 10.6 by adding this line to my /etc/hosts file

 

IPOFSERVER server.DOMAIN.LOCAL server

 

seems to have fixed all the issues i was having

[sidewinder]

Fair enough, Im sure I tried that to no avail, but glad it worked for you!

[sidewinder]

how have you got it working on 10.5? do you use an x serve?

 

tar

phil

 

Same way as I tried to on 10.6!

 

Just bound all clients to the AD domain. I do use an xserve, so they are bound to that too, but only really for managed prefs (and storage)

[ceebster]

Hi Sidewinder

 

When your users log in to your macs they authenticate against AD

 

Do your macs also Mapp ( sorrry ) Mount their Windows home directory?

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Chris

[sidewinder]

They dont, instead they mount a user folder on the mac server, thats just a decision we took because we didnt have enough space on our windows file server for the kids to be saving huge photoshops and cubase projects. So they have a home folder on both servers.

 

Most people though will just map the windows home drive, and it does work fine