Secondary DNS issues

[FJ]

I have two 2003 SP1 servers with DNS on them. When the Primary server is
offline, the Secondary server isn't resolving addresses.

Shouldn't the Secondary work? From all the client workstations, it does
list the Secondary server in the DNS area.

What am I missing.

 

[Herb Martin]

I have two 2003 SP1 servers with DNS on them. When the Primary server is
offline, the Secondary server isn't resolving addresses.

How do you know? (Seriously, you must give us the precise
symptoms and test such problems methodically.)

For instance, does the secondary work WHEN the Primary is
only? (Your post implies strongly that it does, and only fails
when the Primary is offline but that is unlikely.)

Shouldn't the Secondary work? From all the client workstations, it does
list the Secondary server in the DNS area.

What happens when you test each DNS explicitly with NSLookup:

nslookup SOME.server.name each.DNS.IP.address

????

What am I missing.

Methodical testing and explicit problem statement.

Most problems are trivial to solve, the hard part is FINDING them,
and the key to that is being incredibly picky when troubleshooting.

The longer the problem persists the more picky (explicit) your should
become.

 

[FJ]

Sorry, I'm new to this stuff.

I have no idea if the secondary works when the primary is up. I have
configured the two servers and both are pushed out to the cliend XP
stations.

From the XP station, both are listed in the DNS servers area.

My thought was that if the primary server goes down, then the secondary
server will process all DNS requests from the workstations. When the
primary is offline, the workstations can't resolve any hosts.

We are not running ADS.

..

I have two 2003 SP1 servers with DNS on them. When the Primary server is
offline, the Secondary server isn't resolving addresses.

How do you know? (Seriously, you must give us the precise
symptoms and test such problems methodically.)

For instance, does the secondary work WHEN the Primary is
only? (Your post implies strongly that it does, and only fails
when the Primary is offline but that is unlikely.)

Shouldn't the Secondary work? From all the client workstations, it does
list the Secondary server in the DNS area.

What happens when you test each DNS explicitly with NSLookup:

nslookup SOME.server.name each.DNS.IP.address

????

What am I missing.

Methodical testing and explicit problem statement.

Most problems are trivial to solve, the hard part is FINDING them,
and the key to that is being incredibly picky when troubleshooting.

The longer the problem persists the more picky (explicit) your should
become.


--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]

 

[Herb Martin]

Sorry, I'm new to this stuff.

We all were at one time. No problem.

No need to apologize, and I won't apologize for teaching
you how to troubleshoot better, ok?

I have no idea if the secondary works when the primary is up. I have
configured the two servers and both are pushed out to the cliend XP
stations.

So, if you run NSLookup from the clients what happens (I asked
this in the previous message so you might want to go back and
read a bit more carefully and try the test I suggested.)

From the XP station, both are listed in the DNS servers area.

Good. But this doesn't prove that either of the DNS servers is
working.

My thought was that if the primary server goes down, then the secondary
server will process all DNS requests from the workstations. When the
primary is offline, the workstations can't resolve any hosts.

Chances are the secondary is not working correctly or doesn't have
the zone replicated properly.

We are not running ADS.

That would be irrelevant if you are running a standard Primary and
Secondary (mostly irrelevant if you are running a Secondary at all.)

Go look at the Secondary DNS console (MMC) and see if the records
are all there....

If not do you have the zone create (that is what makes it a secondary.)

Does the Primary allow zone transfers (to the secondary specifically or
in general.)

It must or the Secondary cannot copy the records.


--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]

I have two 2003 SP1 servers with DNS on them. When the Primary server is
offline, the Secondary server isn't resolving addresses.

How do you know? (Seriously, you must give us the precise
symptoms and test such problems methodically.)

For instance, does the secondary work WHEN the Primary is
only? (Your post implies strongly that it does, and only fails
when the Primary is offline but that is unlikely.)

Shouldn't the Secondary work? From all the client workstations, it does
list the Secondary server in the DNS area.

What happens when you test each DNS explicitly with NSLookup:

nslookup SOME.server.name each.DNS.IP.address

????

What am I missing.

Methodical testing and explicit problem statement.

Most problems are trivial to solve, the hard part is FINDING them,
and the key to that is being incredibly picky when troubleshooting.

The longer the problem persists the more picky (explicit) your should
become.


--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
Accelerated MCSE
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
[phone number on web site]