New Accounts are disabled...

[Hank Arnold]

I just ran into this the other day. We have two DC's in our domain. I was
creating a test user to try out a process for migrating our users to roaming
profiles. In the past, if I created a user account, I could then go and log
them onto our Citrix server (running TS in application mode). The local
profile would get created and then I would go in and customize it.

Now, when I create the account on the "primary" DC, it shows up with a "
normal status. However, if I try to log them onto the Citrix server, I get a
message that the account is disabled. I go back to the DC and it still shows
as enabled. However, when I go to the "backup" DC, it *does* show up as
"disabled"!! If I "enable" it, then things proceed normally.

Any ideas why this would be happening???

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Hank,

I am sure that you have thought of this already, but are there any AD
Replication issues? I know that you know all the tools available to check
this as well as the links....

Cary

 

[Hank Arnold]

Actually hadn't looked at it. I'll do it on Monday.

Wouldn't hurt to post the links anyway. I'm not all that expert on AD and
how to manage it...

TIA

 

[Hank Arnold]

Looks like it was just a replication time delay. My usual process for
setting up users involves several steps like creating their home drive
folder, creating an Exchange 5.5 mailbox, etc. before logging them onto the
Citrix server. This AM it worked just fine. I had run into the problem when
I tried to log a user on right after creating the account on the DC.

I'd still be interested in hearing about the best tools and methods to check
the AD replication.

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Sorry, Hank!

Have been super busy lately.

I A-L-W-A-Y-S strongly suggest that people install the Support Tools on all
of their WIN2000 Servers. The Support Tools can be located both on the
WIN2000 Server CD as well as on the WIN2000 Service Pack CD ( in the Support
| Tools folder ). Naturally, you can also download them from the MS web
site. I would opt for the Support Tools on the WIN2000 Service Pack Cd or
the download if given the opportunity. There are a ton of tools that are
really very useful. You have dcdiag and netdiag for the basic health of the
network. You can use replmon and repadmin for replication. adsiedit as
well as ldp are good for just about everything. There is also netdom as
well as nltest.

Then, there are some other very useful tools, such as frsdiag, sonar and
ultrasound for frs troubleshooting and then both dnscmd and dnslint for dns
troubleshooting ( to go along with the default nslookup ).

And one of my favorite tools, ADModify, for user/group modifications en
masse!

HTH,

Cary

 

[Hank Arnold]

Thanks, Cary. Excellent point. Can I assume that this is the link for the
support tools?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/SP4/supporttools.asp

Only concern I have is that we are not running SP4. There are reasons for
this (mainly Citrix MetaFrame XP problems). Can I assume (there I go again!)
that the tools do not require SP4?

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Hank,

That would be the correct link for the SP4 Support Tools. However, I should
have been more specific. I always install the Support Tools from the
Service Pack level where the Servers are. So, if all my Servers ( Member
Servers, Domain Controllers ) are at Service Pack 3, then I install the
Support Tools from the WIN2000 Service Pack 3 CD ( or download ). Each and
every Service Pack has it's own corresponding Support Tools. And, yes, you
can mix and match. Not really a good idea, though. You can have all of
your servers at SP3 and then run the Support Tools from SP4. I am not sure
that I would really want to do that, but I *guess* that you could. I have
not tried that. And probably will not.

I have installed SP4 on a WIN2000 member Server running Terminal Services
with Citrix MetaFrame 1.8 SP3. There were no problems there ( okay, I know
that MetaFrame 1.8 is a completely different animal from MetaFrame XP ).

Cary

 

[Hank Arnold]

Thanks, good input.

I've been advised by at least two Citrix consultants (and postings on
newsgroups) that they never install SP4 on a MetaFrame XP server. There
*are* hot fixes from Citrix and/or MS for known problems, but their feedback
was that the system is unstable and has problems almost always until you
find the problems one by one and fix them.

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Hank,

They are probably correct. We have Citrix MetaFrame 1.8 so I have not done
all my reading on MetaFrame XP. From what little reading I have done I want
to say that I remember that there are problems with WIN2000 SP4 and Citrix
MetaFrame XP. Have you posted to the Citrix newsgroup?

Cary