Wireless workstations dont get software installations from group policy

I have a few xp workstation using wireless, they don't seem to be able to
get
software installations while hard wired xp workstations do.

My guess is that the software installation try to install before wireless
connection completed

any ideas?

 

Yes, I suspect you're right. Wireless can be problematic.Make sure you've
got "always wait for network on startup & logon" enabled via group policy,
and check the event logs & the results of an rsop.msc.

 

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

I have done this it does not seem to make any difference.

its really frustrating me

 

Take a look the results of an rsop.msc and also check your event logs.

Wireless is handy but in my experience it's not a true substitute for wired
Ethernet in most situations.

 

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

I have done so,
it either says that if could not find DC and gives a red error icon
or it gives a yellow warning icon saying that it needs to reboot in order to
appy software installations, but never seems to do so

 

Try gpresult. Also try dnsdiag (the XP version!).
Do you *have* to be using wireless for some reason?

 

How large are the software installs? What is speed of the wireless
connection?

For 'practical' test, install a wire NIC, connect to the Ethernet see if one
of the wireless nodes still has a problem downloading.

Are you certain each class of PC, wired vs. wireless, has the same resultant
policies when it comes to security (group policies). I would assume you, as
I do, have a separate OU for wireless nodes. As with roaming policies, I
wonder if there is a limitation QoS issue that is preventing network from
initiating downloads on wireless network.

 

In

There maybe one or two issues going on. If the wireless are using the
incorrect DNS addresses such as mixing them with ISP's DNS IP addresses, it
would never be able to 'find' the DC(s).You haven't posted any configuration
information, but just to remind you, the cardinal rule is to only use the
internal DNS on all AD members and servers. Configure forwarding on your
internal DNS servers to the ISP's. Otherwise, if using the ISP's in ip
properties, expect problems.

If everything is configured correctly, then I would look at the speed of the
wireless connection. If weak, the GPOs may not apply. By default, everything
expect security and password policies will not apply under 500k.

For better assistance to get to the root of it, please supply the following
information:

1. Unedited "ipconfig /all" of one of your DCs and of a wireless laptop.
2. AD DNS domain name.
3. What type of wireless AP are you using? How is it giving the clients
their IP addresses?

--
Regards,
Ace

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT,
MVP Microsoft MVP - Directory Services
Microsoft Certified Trainer

For urgent issues, you may want to contact Microsoft PSS directly. Please
check http://support.microsoft.com for regional support phone numbers.

Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations

 

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

Have done so it shows all gpo's are appled, is identical to wired
workstations

Also try dnsdiag (the XP version!).

sorry could not find XP version

but ipconfig shows it is getting correct dns and is resolving host correctly

Yes, I can not lay wires to certain places

 

office 2003

speed 2.0mb

"Allow processing across a slow network connection" is selected also

all works fine on wire

no i have the same OU, i have a gpo on the OU thats has wireless settings at
the moment it is set for all workstations later I will restrick it to a
group of computers using security filtering

 

The workstation are configured via dhcp just as the wired workstation are
and ipconfig shows them to be correct and identical


You haven't posted any configuration

yes thats is how it is set up

speed is 2.0mb

and "Allow processing across a slow network connection" is also enabled

Windows 2000 IP Configuration



Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : conway
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . : augusta.local
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : augusta.local

Ethernet adapter ADSL:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR GA311 Gigabit Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0F-B5-FB-CE-CD

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 100.0.0.1

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.0.0.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 100.0.0.254

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit
Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-11-11-D1-F9-54

DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.0.0.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

Windows IP Configuration



Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DWIGHT

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : augusta.local

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : augusta.local



Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : IS89C35 802.11bg WLAN USB
Adapter

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-11-67-F0-56-94

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.101

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.0.0.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, 2 March 2008 9:31:35 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, 10 March 2008 9:31:35 PM

the ap is MSI brand it is set to AP mode.

Shared and WEP



Thanks very much

 

In

Looks like the wireless and DNS addresses, as well as the Primary DNS Suffix
matches the AD domain name. That's good. However I believe the problem *may*
be the multihomed DC. Multihoming a DC can be problematic if not configured
properly. It creates multiple entries in the DNS GC and LdapIpAddress
records. I would consider different solution for your ADSL connection, such
as a Linksys router (probably around $40.00) instead of the DC doing it.
Besides, the PPPoE adapters causes issues with the MTU lower than 1500. Not
saying this will be evident on the LAN side, but something else to consider.
Below is my blog with some info and the subject and how to configure a
multihomed DC.


********************************
Multihomed DCs, DNS, RRAS servers.
By Ace Fekay, Directory Services MVP
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below are the manual steps in more detail, which I had outlined in the above
paragraph:

Honestly, multi-homed DCs are not recommended because of the associated
issues that can occur, as you've encountered. We usually recommend
purchasing an inexpensive Linksys, DLink, etc, Cable/DSL router to perform
NAT for you, take out the extra NIC off the DC, but still let the DC handle
DHCP (and not the router).

Little background on AD and DNS:
First, just to get this out of the way, if you have your ISP's DNS addresses
in your IP configuration (DCs and clients), they need to be REMOVED.

If the ISP's DNS is in there, this will cause additional problems.

Also, AD registers certain records in DNS in the form of SRV records that
signify AD's resource and service locations. When there are multiple NICs,
each NIC registers. IF a client, or another DC queries DNS for this DC, it
may get the wrong record. One factor controlling this is Round Robin. If a
DC or client on another subnet that the DC is not configured on queries for
it, Round Robin will kick in offering one or the other. If the wrong one
gets offered, it may not have a route to it. On the other hand, Subnetmask
Priortization will ensure a querying client will get an IP that corresponds
to the subnet it's on, which will work. To insure everything works, stick
with one NIC.

Since this DC is multi-homed, it requires additional configuration to
prevent the public interface addresses from being registered in DNS. This
creates a problem for internal clients locating AD to authenticate and find
other services and resources such as the Global Catalog, file sharing and
the SYSVOL DFS share and can cause GPO errors with Userenv 1000 events to be
logged, authenticating to shares and printers, logging on takes forever,
among numerous other issues.

But if you like, there are some registry changes to eliminate the
registration of the external NIC. Here's the whole list of manual steps to
follow.

But believe me, it's much easier to just get a separate NAT device or
multihome a non-DC then having to alter the DC. - Good luck!

1. Insure that all the NICS only point to your internal DNS server(s) only
and none others, such as your ISP's DNS servers' IP addresses.

2. In Network & Dialup properties, Advanced Menu item, Advanced Settings,
move the internal NIC (the network that AD is on) to the top of the binding
order (top of the list).

3. Disable the ability for the outer NIC to register. The procedure, as
mentioned, involves identifying the outer NIC's GUID number. This link will
show you how:
246804 - How to Enable-Disable Windows 2000 Dynamic DNS Registrations (per
NIC too):
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246804

4. Disable NetBIOS on the outside NIC. That is performed by choosing to
disable NetBIOS in IP Properties, Advanced, and you will find that under the
"WINS" tab. You may want to look at step #3 in the article to show you how
to disable NetBIOS on the RRAS interfaces if this is a RRAS server.
296379 - How to Disable NetBIOS on an Incoming Remote Access Interface
[Registry Entry]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296379

Note: A standard Windows service, called the "Browser service", provides the
list of machines, workgroup and domain names that you see in "My Network
Places" (or the legacy term "Network Neighborhood"). The Browser service
relies on the NetBIOS service. One major requirement of NetBIOS service is a
machine can only have one name to one IP address. It's sort of a
fingerprint. You can't have two brothers named Darrell. A multihomed machine
will cause duplicate name errors on itself because Windows sees itself with
the same name in the Browse List (My Network Places), but with different
IPs. You can only have one, hence the error generated.

5. Disable the "File and Print Service" and disable the "MS Client Service"
on the outer NIC. That is done in NIC properties by unchecking the
respective service under the general properties page. If you need these
services on the outside NIC (which is unlikely), which allow other machines
to connect to your machine for accessing resource on your machine (shared
folders, printers, etc.), then you will probably need to keep them enabled.

6. Uncheck "Register this connection" under IP properties, Advanced
settings, "DNS" tab.

7. Delete the outer NIC IP address, disable Netlogon registration, and
manually create the required records

a. In DNS under the zone name, (your DNS domain name), delete the outer
NIC's IP references for the "LdapIpAddress". If this is a GC, you will need
to delete the GC IP record as well (the "GcIpAddress"). To do that, in the
DNS console, under the zone name, you will see the _msdcs folder. Under
that, you will see the _gc folder. To the right, you will see the IP address
referencing the GC address. That is called the GcIpAddress. Delete the IP
addresses referencing the outer NIC.

i. To stop these two records from registering that information,
use the steps provided in the links below:
Private Network Interfaces on a Domain Controller Are Registered in
DNShttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=295328

ii. The one section of the article that disables these records is
done with this registry entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netlogon\Parameters
(Create this Multi-String Value under it):
Registry value: DnsAvoidRegisterRecords
Data type: REG_MULTI_SZ
Values: LdapIpAddress
GcIpAddress

iii. Here is more information on these and other Netlogon Service records:
Restrict the DNS SRV resource records updated by the Netlogon service
[including GC]:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...proddocs/standard/sag_dns_pro_no_rr_in_ad.asp

b. Then you will need to manually create these two records in DNS with
the IP addresses that you need for the DC. To create the

LdapIpAddress, create a new host under the domain, but leave the "hostname"
field blank, and provide the internal IP of the DC, which results in a
record that looks like:
(same as parent) A 192.168.5.200 (192.168.5.200 is used for illustrative
purposes)

i. You need to also manually create the GcIpAddress as well, if
this is a GC. That would be under the _msdcs._gc SRV record under the zone.
It is created in the same fashion as the LdapIpAddress mentioned above.

8. In the DNS console, right click the server name, choose properties, then
under the "Interfaces" tab, force it only to listen to the internal NIC's IP
address, and not the IP address of the outer NIC.

9. Since this is also a DNS server, the IPs from all NICs will register,
even if you tell it not to in the NIC properties. See this to show you how
to stop that behavior (this procedure is for Windows 2000, but will also
work for Windows 2003):
275554 - The Host's A Record Is Registered in DNS After You Choose Not to
Register the Connection's Address:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=275554

10. If you haven't done so, configure a forwarder. You can use 4.2.2.2 if
not sure which DNS to forward to until you've got the DNS address of your
ISP.
How to set a forwarder? Good question. Depending on your operating
system,choose one of the following articles:

300202 - HOW TO: Configure DNS for Internet Access in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=300202&FR=1

323380 - HOW TO: Configure DNS for Internet Access in Windows Server 2003
(How to configure a forwarder):
http://support.microsoft.com/d/id?=323380

Active Directory communication fails on multihomed domain controllers
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272294


<==*** Some additional reading ***==>
More links to read up and understand what is going on:

292822 - Name Resolution and Connectivity Issues on Windows 2000 Domain
Controller with Routing and Remote Access and DNS Insta {DNS and RRAS and
unwanted IPs registering]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=292822

Active Directory communication fails on multihomed domain controllers
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272294

246804 - How to enable or disable DNS updates in Windows 2000 and in Windows
Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=246804

295328 - Private Network Interfaces on a Domain Controller Are Registered in
DNS
[also shows DnsAvoidRegisterRecords LdapIpAddress to avoid reg sameasparent
private IP]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=295328

306602 - How to Optimize the Location of a DC or GC That Resides Outside of
a Client's
Site [Includes info LdapIpAddress and GcIpAddress information and the SRV
mnemonic values]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=306602

825036 - Best practices for DNS client settings in Windows 2000 Server and
in Windows Server 2003 (including how-to configure a forwarder):
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;825036

291382 - Frequently asked questions about Windows 2000 DNS and Windows
Server 2003 DNS
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=291382

296379 - How to Disable NetBIOS on an Incoming Remote Access Interface
[Registry Entry]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296379


Rid Pool Errors and other mutlhomed DC errors, and how to configure a
multihomed DC, Ace Fekay, 24 Feb 2006
http://www.ureader.com/message/3244572.aspx

_________________________
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ace

 

wouldn't this be a problem for wired workstations also if that was the
problem?

also I have dns listening only on internal nic

 

In

Running a multihomed DC is problematic and unpredicatable. If it's been
running all these years without a hitch and no errors in the event logs, I
would say you're lucky unless properly configured. Sorry to put it that
way. There are other threads discussing this if you don't take my word for
it. All engineers recommend against it. Just search for 'multihomed.'

Ace