Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

[Guest OC]

Default Domain Name for Terminal Server login defaults to local computer name

instead of domain name

 

Hello All!

 

It's about a 20 Terminal Servers 2003 network clustered through Microsoft NLB.

DC, FS, SAN are all redundant and the network is a stable one, having been

live for years.

Most users reach the terminal servers by means of Neoware thin clients.

There are about 1000 accounts, average online user number is 200.

 

The issue is that sometimes at log-in time (read below) all terminal servers

seem to agree to default to their computer name instead of the domain name

(there is only one domain name, no trusts). This confuses thin client users

who are used to click the 'Single button sign-in' on the initial login screen

and enter their username and password to get into the system. Now they also

have to pick the domain name which is indeed annoying for somebody with

little technical background. Needless to say, most of them believe they

forgot their passwords and call us to get them changed.

 

Initial research pointed us to the DefaultDomainName key in the registry. We

have created an Administrative Template file and loaded it in the GPO

corresponding to the Terminal Servers OU. This seemed to have fixed the issue

for a while.

 

Afterwards, when the problem re-emerged we have taken the same setting and

added it to the Default Domain Policy GPO. Again, things seem to have

improved for a while.

 

The last attempt was adding a vbs startup script to the terminal servers,

which again seemed to improve things for a short while (I say 'seems' because

the issue is intermittent, it sometimes works well for weeks and then

suddenly goes crazy, without anyone of us making changes to their AD).

 

We are looking for a permanent solution for this problem. This behavior is

very strange to us, especially because everybody else seems to point out that

this registry key is the solution.

 

Thanks!

[Guest Vera Noest [MVP]]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Check this out:

 

How do I enforce the domain name in the logon dialog box?

http://ts.veranoest.net/ts_faq_configuration.htm#logondomain

 

_________________________________________________________

Vera Noest

MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server

TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net

___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

 

=?Utf-8?B?T0M=?= <OC@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 18 jan

2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Default Domain Name for Terminal Server login defaults to local

> computer name instead of domain name

>

> Hello All!

>

> It's about a 20 Terminal Servers 2003 network clustered through

> Microsoft NLB. DC, FS, SAN are all redundant and the network is

> a stable one, having been live for years.

> Most users reach the terminal servers by means of Neoware thin

> clients. There are about 1000 accounts, average online user

> number is 200.

>

> The issue is that sometimes at log-in time (read below) all

> terminal servers seem to agree to default to their computer name

> instead of the domain name (there is only one domain name, no

> trusts). This confuses thin client users who are used to click

> the 'Single button sign-in' on the initial login screen and

> enter their username and password to get into the system. Now

> they also have to pick the domain name which is indeed annoying

> for somebody with little technical background. Needless to say,

> most of them believe they forgot their passwords and call us to

> get them changed.

>

> Initial research pointed us to the DefaultDomainName key in the

> registry. We have created an Administrative Template file and

> loaded it in the GPO corresponding to the Terminal Servers OU.

> This seemed to have fixed the issue for a while.

>

> Afterwards, when the problem re-emerged we have taken the same

> setting and added it to the Default Domain Policy GPO. Again,

> things seem to have improved for a while.

>

> The last attempt was adding a vbs startup script to the terminal

> servers, which again seemed to improve things for a short while

> (I say 'seems' because the issue is intermittent, it sometimes

> works well for weeks and then suddenly goes crazy, without

> anyone of us making changes to their AD).

>

> We are looking for a permanent solution for this problem. This

> behavior is very strange to us, especially because everybody

> else seems to point out that this registry key is the solution.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest OC]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Thank you, Vera!

 

I have entered the domain name and it now seems to default properly to the

domain, but without having the username and password also entered it seems

like I always get an error when trying to log in. It's like the RDP client

tells the server: "use a blank username and a blank password but log in to

the DOMAIN". I can continue after I acknowledged the error, but this won't

make the users happy.

 

Is there anything I can do about this?

 

Thanks,

Octavian

[Guest OC]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Correction! There is a checkbox saying "Always prompt for password" - it has

to be checked and then the aforementioned problem is solved.

 

I will let the users test it out for a week and see if it's OK, but I

believe that was it.

 

Great job Vera!

 

"OC" wrote:

> Thank you, Vera!

>

> I have entered the domain name and it now seems to default properly to the

> domain, but without having the username and password also entered it seems

> like I always get an error when trying to log in. It's like the RDP client

> tells the server: "use a blank username and a blank password but log in to

> the DOMAIN". I can continue after I acknowledged the error, but this won't

> make the users happy.

>

> Is there anything I can do about this?

>

> Thanks,

> Octavian

[Guest Vera Noest [MVP]]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Great! I'm glad that the problem is solved, and thanks for the

feedback!

_________________________________________________________

Vera Noest

MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server

TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net

___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

 

=?Utf-8?B?T0M=?= <OC@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 18 jan

2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Correction! There is a checkbox saying "Always prompt for

> password" - it has to be checked and then the aforementioned

> problem is solved.

>

> I will let the users test it out for a week and see if it's OK,

> but I believe that was it.

>

> Great job Vera!

>

> "OC" wrote:

>

>> Thank you, Vera!

>>

>> I have entered the domain name and it now seems to default

>> properly to the domain, but without having the username and

>> password also entered it seems like I always get an error when

>> trying to log in. It's like the RDP client tells the server:

>> "use a blank username and a blank password but log in to the

>> DOMAIN". I can continue after I acknowledged the error, but

>> this won't make the users happy.

>>

>> Is there anything I can do about this?

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Octavian

[Guest Gijs]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Dear Vera,

 

We're facing exactly the same problem but the solution mentioned above

doens't work for us. We are using passthrough authentication on our VPN

solution and if we use the settings above users have to enter their username

and password twice.

 

Is there any other way to solve this?

 

Kinda regards,

Gijs.

 

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> Great! I'm glad that the problem is solved, and thanks for the

> feedback!

> _________________________________________________________

> Vera Noest

> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server

> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net

> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

>

> =?Utf-8?B?T0M=?= <OC@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 18 jan

> 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

>

> > Correction! There is a checkbox saying "Always prompt for

> > password" - it has to be checked and then the aforementioned

> > problem is solved.

> >

> > I will let the users test it out for a week and see if it's OK,

> > but I believe that was it.

> >

> > Great job Vera!

> >

> > "OC" wrote:

> >

> >> Thank you, Vera!

> >>

> >> I have entered the domain name and it now seems to default

> >> properly to the domain, but without having the username and

> >> password also entered it seems like I always get an error when

> >> trying to log in. It's like the RDP client tells the server:

> >> "use a blank username and a blank password but log in to the

> >> DOMAIN". I can continue after I acknowledged the error, but

> >> this won't make the users happy.

> >>

> >> Is there anything I can do about this?

> >>

> >> Thanks,

> >> Octavian

>

[Guest Vera Noest [MVP]]

Re: Default Domain Name login defaults to local computer name

 

Gijs, I've no idea what you mean with "the solution above" or what

your VPN passthrough authentication does excatly.

_________________________________________________________

Vera Noest

MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server

TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net

___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

 

=?Utf-8?B?R2lqcw==?= <Gijs@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 02

apr 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Dear Vera,

>

> We're facing exactly the same problem but the solution mentioned

> above doens't work for us. We are using passthrough

> authentication on our VPN solution and if we use the settings

> above users have to enter their username and password twice.

>

> Is there any other way to solve this?

>

> Kinda regards,

> Gijs.

>

> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

>

>> Great! I'm glad that the problem is solved, and thanks for the

>> feedback!

>> _________________________________________________________

>> Vera Noest

>> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server

>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net

>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

>>

>> =?Utf-8?B?T0M=?= <OC@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 18 jan

>> 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

>>

>> > Correction! There is a checkbox saying "Always prompt for

>> > password" - it has to be checked and then the aforementioned

>> > problem is solved.

>> >

>> > I will let the users test it out for a week and see if it's

>> > OK, but I believe that was it.

>> >

>> > Great job Vera!

>> >

>> > "OC" wrote:

>> >

>> >> Thank you, Vera!

>> >>

>> >> I have entered the domain name and it now seems to default

>> >> properly to the domain, but without having the username and

>> >> password also entered it seems like I always get an error

>> >> when trying to log in. It's like the RDP client tells the

>> >> server: "use a blank username and a blank password but log

>> >> in to the DOMAIN". I can continue after I acknowledged the

>> >> error, but this won't make the users happy.

>> >>

>> >> Is there anything I can do about this?

>> >>

>> >> Thanks,

>> >> Octavian