Re: Printers keep disapearing

From: David Everett [MSFT] (deverett_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 08/23/04 

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 09:34:18 -0500

If you are referring to the connection objects which enable AD Replication
to occur, these are typically generated by KCC and KCC will build these
where they are needed. You do not need a full mesh topology. Once you have
more than 3 DCs the full mesh is avoided by KCC. when you have more than 3
DCs, KCC builds optimized links which ensure replication gets to all DCs.
For example, when you have Sites defined the KCC will designate a bridgehead
DC at each site and the bridgehead will have inbound and outbound
connections to a DC in another site. All the non-bridgehead DCs in the site
get their information from the bridgehead.

If you have disabled KCC and you are manually creating these links then it
is possible you are not seeing the printers on all DCs if you have not
created an inbound and/or outbound connection to a DC. Even if this were
the case, one or more DCs in the site of the print server should have the
printer objects in Active Directory. If at least one DC at the site of the
print server has the printers published in AD, once you restart the Print
Spooler service on the print server, and the KCC has not been tampered with,
then you could have AD Replication issues due to DNS misconfiguration. A
DNS misconfiguration might also explain why printers are not being published
correctly and if they are why they get pruned out of AD after 24 hours.

NOTE: If you have no problem with a newly created user object replicating to
all DCs in the domain with the connection objects already in place then
printers should replicate just the same. If user objects fail to replicate
as well then it could be a DNS issue.

To see if AD Replication is working everywhere type this command at the
command prompt while logged in as the Enterprise Admin "repadmin /syncall /e
/d /P [anyDC] >c:\syncall.txt". View the syncall.txt output file in the
root of C:\ drive and check the very last line. It should read "SyncAll
terminated with no errors". If it does not say this then start looking at
each failure that is mentioned. You should get a code for the failure
reason. From the command line type "net helpmsg [code#] and this will tell
you the type of problem preventing AD replication from occurring between the
source and target DCs. 

-- 
David Everett
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"MDPILWL" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:94b001c4863c$cdfbd690$a501280a@phx.gbl...
> David;
> Thanx for the info. So you don't think it has something to
> do with the ADS Connectors in the AD Sites and Services?
>
> Should I have a connector for each site that connects to
> all other DCs at all other sites? In other words I have 10
> sites so should each site have 9 connectors to replicate
> to the other 9 DCs at each of the other sites?
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Restart Netlogon Service on the DC(s) at the remote
> location where the print
> >server is.
> >
> >Next, restart the Print Spooler service on the print
> server.  Once this is
> >done open AD Users and Computers on the DC(s) in the same
> site as the print
> >server.  In ADU&C check View on the menu bar and place a
> check next to the
> >options of "Users, Groups, and Computers as containers"
> and "Advanced
> >Features".
> >
> >Locate the print server in ADU&C and see if the printers
> appear under that
> >print server.  If there is more than one DC in that site
> then focus ADU&C on
> >those DCs until you find one that lists the printers
> under the print server.
> >
> >NOTE: If the printers do not publish on any DC then
> run "gpresult /s
> >>servername.txt" on a DC and on the print server.  then
> check the
> >servername.txt files to see if any policy settings
> mentioned in the KB
> >234270 could be are preventing the printers from being
> published.  If no
> >policies are configured then open ADU&C and check the
> Security permissions
> >under the print server's Properties.  Verify the Self
> group has Allow set on
> >the following permissions:
> >
> >"Validate write to service principal name"
> >"Validate write DNS host name"
> >"Create child objects"
> >"Delete child objects"
> >
> >If the printers do appear on any DC in that print
> server's location, log on
> >to that DC as Enterprise Admin and run this command:
> >
> >    repadmin /syncall /e /d /P <name-of-the-DC-with-the-
> printers>
> >
> >If you get errors then DNS or other issues might be
> preventing this DC from
> >replicating to the other DCs and they could be preventing
> the print server
> >from publishing in AD.  If you do get errors use "net
> helpmsg ###" to see
> >what the error translate to.
> >
> >By default, the DC(s) in the site of the print server
> check every 8 hours by
> >pinging the print server to verify that the print server
> is online.  When a
> >print server fails to respond an Event ID: 47 is
> generated in the System
> >event log of the DC.  If the print server fails to
> respond three times in a
> >row the DC(s) in that site will prune the printers from
> AD.  When this
> >occurs an Event ID: 50 is registered on the DC.
> >
> >You can modify print pruning behavior in GPO if needed.
> >
> >234270 Using Group Policies to Control Printers in Active
> Directory
> >http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234270
> >
> >-- 
> >David Everett
> >Microsoft Corporation
> >
> >This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
> confers no rights.
> >
> >"MDPILWL" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message
> >news:180201c48574$2f8e4510$a301280a@phx.gbl...
> >> We have 10 remote sites with 1 DC in each and each has a
> >> global catalog. the main location has connections to
> each
> >> of the sites and each of them have a single connection
> >> back. One day the main location lost power and was down
> >> over the weekend and the DS replication appointed
> another
> >> site as the main one and sense that time we have not
> been
> >> able to get our shared printers back into AD so that
> each
> >> site can see them. I remoted into each site server and
> >> unshaered the printer then reshared them tehn restarted
> >> the FRS and they came back. that lasted until this power
> >> outage. Now even if I go to each site and reshare the
> >> printer they don't show up at each site when trying to
> >> add a printer.
> >>
> >> Any idea?
> >
> >
> >.
> >

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