Domain login

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August 2nd, 2004, 08:25 PM
cheyenne1212

Domain login

Just setting up a Windows Server 2003 AD domain right now and I'm having one problem.

WHen client logs onto the domain, it takes a pretty good while for the machine to get past the "applyng personal settings" part.

All the clients are XP pro 2.8ghz processor and 512MB ram.
Server is WIndows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, 1 2.4ghz xeon, 1GB ram (2GB by wednesday), all of them connected to a 24 port linkys switch. THeres only 6 computers on right now.

Any ideas on what I can do to speed up the login process so it doesn't take 5 minutes to log in?
August 2nd, 2004, 08:31 PM
ss2chef

Hi,

Do your users use ISP DNS or do they point to the server for DNS resolution?
I have seen when workstations are not setup to use the server for name resolution, the login can be delayed.

SGS
August 2nd, 2004, 08:35 PM
cheyenne1212

As it is right now, all clients get their DNS automatically from the DHCP server which is currently a Cisco Pix 501 firewall.
August 2nd, 2004, 08:38 PM
ss2chef

DHCP eh...

Does ipconfig /all tell us they are not using the new ad server as the primary dns server?

Try hard coding the ad server IP as the primary dns and see if login is faster.

If so maybe you can edit the PIX to offer the server IP as the primary..??
August 2nd, 2004, 08:38 PM
kr5kernel

If using roaming profiles, you may want to change the group policy on certain directories and limit the size of profiles. I have seen people who had literally gigs of information in their documents folder that would syncronize upon login and log off. Check that, its often the simple things....
August 2nd, 2004, 08:42 PM
cacosapo

huge roaming profile perhaps?
August 2nd, 2004, 08:42 PM
cheyenne1212

Your were right, changin the DNS servers to the server on our LAN with the AD on now lets the computers get on withing 10 seconds. Thanks
August 2nd, 2004, 09:00 PM
ss2chef

If you need ISP DNS you can start the WINS server and have your users point to it.
Then you can keep your DNS set to your ISP.

Cheers,

SGS
August 2nd, 2004, 09:11 PM
cheyenne1212

Don't think I'm gonna need to do that. Its looking up sites just fine. Besides I coudl always just put my ISP's DNS servers in a forward lookup zone right?
August 2nd, 2004, 09:19 PM
ss2chef

Quote:

Originally posted here by cheyenne1212
Don't think I'm gonna need to do that. Its looking up sites just fine. Besides I coudl always just put my ISP's DNS servers in a forward lookup zone right?

Yes forwarders is the way to go if you have that need.
August 3rd, 2004, 04:47 PM
mohaughn

What I'm curious about is that you said your cisco PIX was handling DNS. Did you setup the AD DNS entries in the PIX DNS properly? You do not have to use windows DNS for AD to work.

Windows doesn't really care who the DNS provider is, just as long as it is setup properly. We use QIP DNS servers instead of the MS DNS on a domain with over 60k clients. It just sounds like you didn't have your domain specified properly on the pix DNS server and it had to use a broadcast or WINS to find the DC.

edit-- nevermind.. reread that post and it was DHCP that you said was on the Pix.. dooh! The situation is still the same though, your ISP DNS didn't have the right information about your AD.