Changes to Domain Group Initiates Full Domain Synchronization

ID: Q230525

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.51

SYMPTOMS

When a change is made to a group in a Windows NT 2000 mixed-mode domain (where domain controllers have different versions of Windows NT), the Windows NT 3.51 domain controllers attempt to complete a full domain security account manager (SAM) synchronization instead of just replicating the change.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:


   Date       Time     Size      File name      Platform
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   05/11/99   05:23p   150,576   Netlogon.dll   x86
   05/11/99   05:26p   229,136   Netlogon.dll   Alpha

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

In Windows NT, changes to the SAM database that are replicated across the domain are given a unique serial number. For example, a change with a specific serial number may represent a change in group membership of a particular group. Another change with a different specific serial number may represent a change in a group attribute.

In Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0, there exists a mechanism to propagate group renames. Specifically, if change number N represented a group rename on a primary domain controller (PDC), the backup domain controller (BDC) would get three changes (or deltas) replicated to it. The first delta contains the new name of the account. After the BDC processes this delta, it expects the next delta to be delta number N+1. But the PDC sends the BDC a delta saying "the next delta is delta N". The PDC then sends the BDC another delta containing the group membership of the group.

Windows NT 3.51 does not correctly support the "next delta is delta N" change feature. This causes the BDC to perform a full SAM database synchronization.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbnetwork ntdomain
Version : winnt:3.51
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug