Server 2003 - Can't see computers in the Domain

Ok, I'm at my wits end here and any help would be appreciated.

I'm running a Windows 2003 Standard 32 bit server at my office.
Currently if I go to:
My Network Places|Entire Network|Microsoft Windows Network|{Domain}
I do not see any computers that are part of the domain.

Everything is visible from the workstations (mix of 2000 and XP). I
can browse the network shares, I can print, everything, just as
normal.

If I go to the same thing (My Network Places|..etc) from one of the
work stations, I see all the computers in the domain. BUT, I don't
see the server in the list (just realized this).

This is something new, I know because we use Symantec Antivirus
Corporate. It uses the domain list to populate their list of
computers to push a client remote install to. I have it installed on
every system except new or recently refomatted systems because I can't
currently see them.

Anyway, I *THINK* I know when this happened. We were attempting to
get VPN working, so we turned on the VPN portion of the 2003 server.
At that moment, everyone locally lost connection to the server. No
one could see it. So I uninstalled the VPN portion, and everything
was good for the XP stations. However, for the 2000 stations, we had
to go around and set one of the DNSs to the IP of the 2003 server for
it to be able to log into the domain again.

This is my best guess of when it happened, but I have no idea what
exactly got changed and not changed back.

The domain is the same on the server and the workstations.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

In news:(E-Mail Removed),
Brian Allen <.> typed:
> Ok, I'm at my wits end here and any help would be appreciated.
>
> I'm running a Windows 2003 Standard 32 bit server at my office.
> Currently if I go to:
> My Network Places|Entire Network|Microsoft Windows Network|{Domain}
> I do not see any computers that are part of the domain.
>
> Everything is visible from the workstations (mix of 2000 and XP). I
> can browse the network shares, I can print, everything, just as
> normal.
>
> If I go to the same thing (My Network Places|..etc) from one of the
> work stations, I see all the computers in the domain. BUT, I don't
> see the server in the list (just realized this).
>
> This is something new, I know because we use Symantec Antivirus
> Corporate. It uses the domain list to populate their list of
> computers to push a client remote install to. I have it installed on
> every system except new or recently refomatted systems because I can't
> currently see them.
>
> Anyway, I *THINK* I know when this happened. We were attempting to
> get VPN working, so we turned on the VPN portion of the 2003 server.
> At that moment, everyone locally lost connection to the server. No
> one could see it. So I uninstalled the VPN portion, and everything
> was good for the XP stations. However, for the 2000 stations, we had
> to go around and set one of the DNSs to the IP of the 2003 server for
> it to be able to log into the domain again.
>
> This is my best guess of when it happened, but I have no idea what
> exactly got changed and not changed back.
>
> The domain is the same on the server and the workstations.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yep, I've seen this too for the same reasons. The server you configured
RRAS/VPN on is the PDC Emulator, or the default Master Browser for the
domain. Assuming there aer multiple NICs on this machine, which really
complicates matters, I can see why it is taking a dump. Suggest to use a
standalone for VPN or a higher security based hardware VPN solution such as
an inexpensive Pix 501. Get the Cisco support contract and they'll set the
whole thing up for free from scratch for you. If the DC is multihomed, I
would really suggest to disable one of the NICs or team them up. There are
numerous issues with multihomed DCs.


--
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

Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations

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Fixed. under the WINS section of the TCP/IP settings of that NIC, the
NetBIOS got set to 'Disable'. Setting back to Default fixed the
problem.

On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 23:05:56 -0400, "Ace Fekay [MVP]"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>In news:(E-Mail Removed),
>Brian Allen <.> typed:
>> Ok, I'm at my wits end here and any help would be appreciated.
>>
>> I'm running a Windows 2003 Standard 32 bit server at my office.
>> Currently if I go to:
>> My Network Places|Entire Network|Microsoft Windows Network|{Domain}
>> I do not see any computers that are part of the domain.
>>
>> Everything is visible from the workstations (mix of 2000 and XP). I
>> can browse the network shares, I can print, everything, just as
>> normal.
>>
>> If I go to the same thing (My Network Places|..etc) from one of the
>> work stations, I see all the computers in the domain. BUT, I don't
>> see the server in the list (just realized this).
>>
>> This is something new, I know because we use Symantec Antivirus
>> Corporate. It uses the domain list to populate their list of
>> computers to push a client remote install to. I have it installed on
>> every system except new or recently refomatted systems because I can't
>> currently see them.
>>
>> Anyway, I *THINK* I know when this happened. We were attempting to
>> get VPN working, so we turned on the VPN portion of the 2003 server.
>> At that moment, everyone locally lost connection to the server. No
>> one could see it. So I uninstalled the VPN portion, and everything
>> was good for the XP stations. However, for the 2000 stations, we had
>> to go around and set one of the DNSs to the IP of the 2003 server for
>> it to be able to log into the domain again.
>>
>> This is my best guess of when it happened, but I have no idea what
>> exactly got changed and not changed back.
>>
>> The domain is the same on the server and the workstations.
>>
>> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Yep, I've seen this too for the same reasons. The server you configured
>RRAS/VPN on is the PDC Emulator, or the default Master Browser for the
>domain. Assuming there aer multiple NICs on this machine, which really
>complicates matters, I can see why it is taking a dump. Suggest to use a
>standalone for VPN or a higher security based hardware VPN solution such as
>an inexpensive Pix 501. Get the Cisco support contract and they'll set the
>whole thing up for free from scratch for you. If the DC is multihomed, I
>would really suggest to disable one of the NICs or team them up. There are
>numerous issues with multihomed DCs.

I've had this happen several times on a 2003 Server out of the blue after
adding/removing WINS or RRAS.....both times it was the same issue:

Go into your properties of TCP/IP, advanced, WINS tab.....check to see if
NetBios setting has been changed to "Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP." If so,
change it back to "Default."

Reboot. Computers appeared for me again each time.

It's almost like installing WINS flips that setting or something.

Give it a shot.

"Brian Allen" wrote:

> Ok, I'm at my wits end here and any help would be appreciated.
>
> I'm running a Windows 2003 Standard 32 bit server at my office.
> Currently if I go to:
> My Network Places|Entire Network|Microsoft Windows Network|{Domain}
> I do not see any computers that are part of the domain.
>
> Everything is visible from the workstations (mix of 2000 and XP). I
> can browse the network shares, I can print, everything, just as
> normal.
>
> If I go to the same thing (My Network Places|..etc) from one of the
> work stations, I see all the computers in the domain. BUT, I don't
> see the server in the list (just realized this).
>
> This is something new, I know because we use Symantec Antivirus
> Corporate. It uses the domain list to populate their list of
> computers to push a client remote install to. I have it installed on
> every system except new or recently refomatted systems because I can't
> currently see them.
>
> Anyway, I *THINK* I know when this happened. We were attempting to
> get VPN working, so we turned on the VPN portion of the 2003 server.
> At that moment, everyone locally lost connection to the server. No
> one could see it. So I uninstalled the VPN portion, and everything
> was good for the XP stations. However, for the 2000 stations, we had
> to go around and set one of the DNSs to the IP of the 2003 server for
> it to be able to log into the domain again.
>
> This is my best guess of when it happened, but I have no idea what
> exactly got changed and not changed back.
>
> The domain is the same on the server and the workstations.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>

In news:9C2D0E26-173E-4539-ABA3-(E-Mail Removed),
eleska <(E-Mail Removed)> typed:
> I've had this happen several times on a 2003 Server out of the blue
> after adding/removing WINS or RRAS.....both times it was the same
> issue:
>
> Go into your properties of TCP/IP, advanced, WINS tab.....check to
> see if NetBios setting has been changed to "Disable NetBIOS over
> TCP/IP." If so, change it back to "Default."
>
> Reboot. Computers appeared for me again each time.
>
> It's almost like installing WINS flips that setting or something.
>
> Give it a shot.
>

WINS will NOT disable NetBIOSover TCP/IP because WINS is a NetBIOS
resolution service. The derfault is NetBIOS is ENABLED over TCP/IP. It must
have been disabled some other way. I've never seen this occur on the
hundreds of servers I deal with that has not been manually and intentionally
disabled for one reason or other.

Ace

In news:(E-Mail Removed),
Brian Allen <.> typed:
> Fixed. under the WINS section of the TCP/IP settings of that NIC, the
> NetBIOS got set to 'Disable'. Setting back to Default fixed the
> problem.

Disabling NetBIOS will do it all the time...

Ace