Domain Controller on Slower Link May Be Used for Domain Validation

ID: Q185969

The information in this article applies to:
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to specify which domain controller should be used for domain validation. For example, a domain controller across a wide area network (WAN) link may respond first to a Windows 95 NETLOGON broadcast before a slower but topographically closer domain controller.


CAUSE

Windows 95 uses a NETLOGON broadcast to locate available domain controllers. Because a domain controller across a slow link could respond more quickly than a local domain controller, login script processing could be handled over the slow link, resulting in a longer logon process.


RESOLUTION

This issue is resolved by the following updated file for Windows 95 and OSR2: 


   MSNET32.DLL version 4.00.954  dated 10/02/97 4:40am  61,952 bytes



WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).


After you install the updated MSNET32.DLL file, you can specify the domain controller to use for domain validation on a computer-by-computer basis. To specify the domain controller to use for domain validation, follow these steps:
  1. On the computer running Windows 95, run Registry Editor and add a key that corresponds to your domain name to the following key: 
    
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetLogon\ 
         PreferredServer
    For example, if the domain name is MyDomain, create the following key: 
    
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetLogon\ 
         PreferredServer\MyDomain


  2. Add a String value named LogonServer to the key you created in step 1. Set the data value of the LogonServer value to the name of the domain controller you want to use for domain validation.


After you make this change and you attempt to log on, the domain controller you specified is used for logon validation. This update is not for load-balancing logon servers. NETLOGON broadcasts are typically used to locate a domain controller; specifying a domain controller causes the Windows 95 client computer to ignore domain controllers' responses to a NETLOGON broadcast. If the specified domain controller does not exist, no further action is taken to locate a domain controller and domain validation does not succeed.


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95 and OEM Service Release version 2. An update to address this problem is now available, but is not fully regression tested and should be applied only to computers experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft does not recommend implementing this update at this time. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for additional information about the availability of this update.

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbenv kbnetwork osr2 win95 
Version           : WINDOWS:95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 8, 1999