force acs v.5 to join domain with a certain Domain Controller

[larsen_2011]

    Hi everybody,

I try to join an ACS v. 5.3 to the domain.  For my acs in Location A, I can join without problems using my account. When I try to join the ACS in location B to the same domain with the same account, it doesnt work.

I looked at the debug log files for the ad client, and noticed, that the ACS in location B goes to a certain Domain Controller. However, I would have expected the ACS to contact another DC, which is located on  the same location as the ACS ... this doesnt happen.

My question:  How does the ACS determine what DC to contact ? Is it possible to force the AC to join by connecting a certain DC ?

Thanks for any help or ideas ?!?

Ida              

[Tarik Admani · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Please check your sites and services in your DNS configuration to see if the right Domain controllers are being sent to the ACS when it attempts to connect to the domain. This feature is critical and will optimize the connections that the ACS chooses in order to join the domain.

The way this works is that ACS attempts to resolve some dns records for global catalog servers and domain controllers to the dns server configured in the initial installation script. Then the dns makes a decision based on the source ip address of the dns query and thinks that the ACS is at a specific site and returns the result of which DCs and GCs are configured in that specific site.

let me know if that helps.

Tarik Admani
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[larsen_2011]

wow Tarik,

you are really the best.

I checked the dns server, and saw that using nslookup to the domain name gave a somewhat funny response. Then I changed the dns server to the one we use in the location where the connection worked - and then I could connect to the domain.

Thanks a lot!