"No Domain Controller Found" Error Message When Logging on Using IPX/SPX to Dial into RAS or RRAS

ID: Q233309

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Routing & Remote Access Service Update for Windows NT Server version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use your Windows NT 4.0-based server to try to dial into a Remote Access Service (RAS) or Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) server that is a primary domain controller (PDC), you may receive a "no domain controller found" error message.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when the Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer is running and you choose "Log on using dial up networking", the connection is established and the netlogon requests are sent over the dial-up networking (DUN) connection with a source IPX network that corresponds to the Internal Network ID configured on the server.

When the Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer uses DUN, it sends its logon requests with the Internal Network ID for the source IPX address. The RAS or RRAS server has already pre-configured an IPX network for all DUN clients which it will use to handle netlogon requests. When it receives a netlogon request from the Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer with a source IPX network number that is unaware of, it ignores these netlogon queries.

Because of this, the Windows NT 4.0 client computer never receives a netlogon reply, and you may not be logged on, or you may be logged on using cached credentials from a previous successful logon.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue for a Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer, you must change the internal network ID (or number) back to all zeroes in IPX/SPX Properties. Note that after you do so, when you are dialing into the RAS or RRAS server, your Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer will use the IPX network number that it received from the RAS or RRAS server as the source for the packet.

MORE INFORMATION

When you install IPX on a Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer, you receive a message indicating you should not leave the Internal Network ID as all zeroes for routing purposes. You do not receive this message when you install IPX on a Windows NT 4.0 Workstation-based computer because it does not need an Internal Network ID configured.

The reason that Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computers use the Internal Network ID by default is that they are usually intended to be IPX routers. When an Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer is dialing another location, it interprets that it is still acting as an IPX router. However, the RAS or RRAS server that it is dialing does not support IPX routing over normal DUN connections. Because of this, the RAS or RRAS server does not attempt to discover the Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer Internal Network ID.

To route IPX packets from one network to another, you must install the Routing and Remote Access Update on the Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer and configure it for IPX routing and demand dial interfaces. For additional information about routing IPX packets from one network to another, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q175640 How To Configure Nwlink LAN-to-LAN Routing Using RRAS

NOTE: Only in the case where you are using your Windows NT 4.0 Server-based computer as a DUN client and you want to log on to the domain will it be necessary to change your internal network ID to all zeroes. Otherwise, you can leave it configured as it is.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kberrmsg kbnetwork kbtool
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb