Recently I upgraded our wireless router in our office and ever since then I've been having issues with our client computers (seemingly randomly) dropping out of the Domain in the network connection status. If I head to system's domain settings, it still shows as being connected, but the active network connection is saying otherwise. Any ideas?
Setup: DC - Win 2008 R2, Clients are on Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
when you say they are dropping out of the domain network, do you mean they are dropping there network connection, or they are being logged out of the domain, logged into the domain with a network connection but no connections are working?
The client's still have an internet connection and the Domain Settings in the control panel still reports that the computer belongs to the domain. However, the network adapter reports that it isn't connected to the domain - it shows up as the generic "network 8", not as being connected to the Domain. When this happens, the computer can no longer connect to the print server or view any network shares (outside of previously connected network drives).
As an example:
It should be reporting this:
What's happening is that its showing up as "Network 8" instead of HATOP.com.
assuming these same computers work when connected by ethernet, and this problem only started when you deployed the wireless AP, it could be dropped/lost packets, confusing the client/server connection.
have you tried removing the machine from the domain computer lists, clear out the network config, start it again.
can you ping the server/print server?
In the network topology, the layout has the modem connected to the wireless AP, which is then connected to the office's main (unmanaged) switch. All of the client computers are connected, by Ethernet, to this switch. Before making this post I did try leaving/joining the domain on one of the clients - we'll see if that is the resolution. I'll have to try pining the DC/Print server after it happens again to another client.
so is the AP the gateway or the router? where is the server/how is the server connected? if you dont have a server, where is the Domain Controller?
Modem -> Wireless AP -> Switch -> Clients & the Domain Controller/DNS Server/DHCP Server
The AP has DHCP turned off.
ok, just wanted to make sure there was actually a server and not some wierd domain server software running from a desktop.
i would try removing the clients from the list of domain computers, resetting the network adapter, and re-joining the domain.
if that doesn't work, see if you can find a different Wifi AP.
Thank you, I'll do that - any other ideas while I have your attention?
from what your telling me, it sounds like the client is if only for a moment loosing connection to the server, causing windows to believe its suddenly on a different network. i.e. the packets identifying the domain are not making it through, because of that the client is then identifying itself to the server differently, because its suddenly not identifying itself as a part of that network.
if the client was working and does work through ethernet, and doesnt on wifi, its either some config thats gone awry, or faulty equipment.
it might be worth using a wifi scanner, you can get an app for android, not sure about iphone/windows to scan the area for interference, find the best band and set your AP to use that band, that might help.
make sure your AP is positioned in a good place, i.e. not behind a steel girder or fridge, or wrapped in power cables, the antenna's if any are connected properly, lake sure there pointed straight up, or flat, if you have 2, put one vertical and the other horizontal.
best test is to put the wifi client right next to the AP, see if it looses connection to the domain then, if it does it is almost certainly the AP. especially if its happening with multiple clients.
Check the profiles in Power Options, I bet it is putting your wireless adapters to sleep for some crazy power conservation thing
It's happening to clients connected through the wireless and through Ethernet.
Is the domain controler(s) the dns server that the DHCP server is handing out? Maybe in the upgrade the device went back to default of something else.
The Active Directory Controller is also the DNS and DHCP server.
make sure that is what the client is getting though?
It normally works, the problem is that the client will randomly drop this association with the AD Controller.
Try this.