SBS: Client Setup Cannot Find Domain Controller

• Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server versions 4.0, 4.0a, 4.5

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to run the Small Business Server Client Setup Wizard, you may receive either of the following error messages:

The domain controller for this domain cannot be located.

Microsoft Small Business Server Client Setup cannot continue due to the following error:
The network path was not found.
(\\servername\IPC$)

An error has occurred; the wizard was not able to configure the computer.
Restart the computer and run Client Setup again. If it fails, then see the Troubleshooting in the Small Business Server Online Guide.
Remove the client setup disk from your floppy drive and click Finish to restart your computer.

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the IP configuration is changed to use DHCP.

The Client setup process releases the current IP address and tries to obtain one from the SBS DHCP Server. If you cannot obtain an IP address from the SBS server, it returns the listed error and terminates the SBS client installation.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, change the SBS server and the DHCP scope to be on the same subnet. Microsoft recommends that you give the SBS server an IP address that is within the DHCP scope, and place this IP address in the exception list.

MORE INFORMATION

The reason that the DHCP Server may not be able to offer an IP address, is that the DHCP server and the DHCP scope addresses are on logically different subnets. This occurs when either the static IP address of the DHCP server or the DHCP scope is changed from the default configuration.

By default, the SBS server assigns itself the static IP address 10.0.0.2, and the DHCP scope is set to 10.0.0.1 through 10.0.0.255, with both of these using a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. The IP address range 10.0.0.1 through 10.0.0.10 are placed in the exception list for machines that require static IP addresses. For example, if the SBS servers IP address is changed to 10.10.10.2 and the DHCP scope is not changed, the SBS server is on a logically different subnet than the DHCP scope, and is unable to give an IP address to a DHCP client.

Additional query words: smallbiz

Keywords : kberrmsg kbnetwork kbsetup
Version : winnt:4.0,4.0a,4.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb