# Domain Controller Could not be contacted



## AJMeerwald

I am currently experiencing huge slowdowns of the server. I have looked around all of the obvious areas. The MssBsssr.exe usually is the program eating up the CPU time, but this is only a logging program and the problem should be elsewhere. The critical event error log gives the following: 

Windows cannot query for the list of Group Policy objects. Check the event log for possible messages previously logged by the policy engine that describes the reason for this.

In Advanced Management/Active Directory Users and Computers only one Computer is listed
Called BDP.local type is DOMAIN
1. In the Group Policy Management Console I get an error stating:
The specified Domain Controller Could not be contacted. This affects the following domain in the console.
Domain: BayshoreDiscoveryProject.local 
The error was:
A referral was returned from the server
Please choose from the following options: Choose a different Domain Controller
Retry
Remove this domain from the console

Whatever choice I make it goes to a screen to “change the domain controller”

2. Current Domain Controller:
There is nothing listed here (ie. It is blank)

(this next is grayed out)
Look in this Domain:
BayshoreDiscoveryProject.local

I then get the following choices (not grayed out): 
Change to:
The domain controller with the operations master token for the PDC emulator
Any available domain controller
Any available domain controller running windows 2003 or later
This domain controller
The box following listing the domain controllers is empty.

From this screen no matter what choice I make I get taken back to the 1. screen

Also I can exit from this screen without going to task manager and ending the server management console.

At one point Bayshorediscoveryproject.local was the server. This was changed to bdp.local at some point. It seems that this may be part of the problem, but I can not seem to change it.
In the Server Management Console/Server Computers there is only one Server listed if I look at its properties its Computer Name(pre windows 2000) is Server. Its DNS Name is Server.BayshoreDiscoveryProject.local

At this point I do not know where else to look for information. Any help will be appreciated.


----------



## crazijoe

How many domain controllers do you have?


----------



## AJMeerwald

I only have the one Domain Controller.
Mitch


----------



## AJMeerwald

Sorry about the short reply. I have in Server Management only one server called "server" it shows a DNS name of: server.BayshoreDiscoveryProject.local and its role is listed as: Domain Controller. In Active Directory Domains and Trusts BDP.local is listed type "domainDNS"
Mitch


----------



## crazijoe

> In Active Directory Domains and Trusts BDP.local is listed type "domainDNS"


This could be an issue, however I need a little more info.
In the TCP/IP properties of the server, what is listed as the Preferred DNS Server in the "Use the following DNS server addresses:" box.?
Also do you have DHCP running on the server and are the workstations recieving DHCP from the server?


----------



## AJMeerwald

Preferred DNS Server is 10.1.10.200 which is the address of the server. DHCP is running on the server and all of the workstations are using the server for DHCP.


----------



## crazijoe

In DHCP, on the server, do you have the options configuired for the workstations to use the server for DNS?


----------



## AJMeerwald

In DHCP I do not find any specific option for the workstations to use the server for DNS.
Under the Scope Options I found the 015 DNS Domain Name option checked. The description (in Properties) is: "DNS domain name for client resolutions" in the Data Entry:
String Value is BDP.local

The other options checked checked are 003 (router), 044 (WINS/NBS servers) and 046(WiINS/NBT type).


----------



## crazijoe

Should also include option "006 DNS Servers" and add the address of the server. Also run dcdiag from a cmd prompt on the server.


----------



## AJMeerwald

When I first open DHCP under the contents it lists:
server.bayshorediscoveryproject.local and the status is "not connected"

I added the 006 and listed the server address.

running dcdiag produced the following failures:
Warning: SERVER is not advertising as a time server.
........................SERVER failed test Advertising
w32time Service is stopped on [SERVER]
........................SERVER failed test Services
Warning: DcGetDcName<TIME_SERVER> call failed, error 1355
A Time Server could not be located.
The server holding the PDC role is down.
A Good Time Server could not be located.
...................................BDP.local failed test FsmoCheck

All other tests passed.


----------



## AJMeerwald

Sorry, also as soon as I click on the Server the staus changes to running.


----------



## crazijoe

You need to get the time service situation resoved. This could be the root to your problem as out of sync work stations and servers can play havoc with kerberos. 
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr.../technologies/security/ws03mngd/26_s3wts.mspx


----------



## AJMeerwald

I have been looking around to find the time service or time server services and can not seem to locate the controls. Can you point me in the right direction?
Thank you for the help so far. I would never have gotten this far without it.
Mitch


----------



## crazijoe

There are really no controls for the time service. It is a service that runs under the services. 
Check in your services to make sure it is running. 
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...ologies/security/ws03mngd/26_s3wts.mspx#EZJAC
You want to make sure that your server is syncing it's time with a external time server.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...ologies/security/ws03mngd/26_s3wts.mspx#EMOAC
Then you want to make sure that the workstations are syncing with the server.


----------



## AJMeerwald

Thank you again. I went back and looked at your reply and found the link you sent. I have started the service (it was disabled). I had looked for it as a service, but could not find it until I got the correct name. It is called Windows Time Service - go figure! Which I found out from the link. 
I will follow the rest of the procedure and recheck DCDiag.


----------



## BenyG

If you have problems with the DC not advertising itself as a time server try this page: 

http://ben.goodacre.name/tech/Domai...ing_as_a_time_server_Error_in_dcdiag_(Windows)


----------

