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i just transferred fsmo roles to a new domain controller, my network has three domain controllers all active directory integrated, with DNS active directory zones, they are all global catalogs. This is a single domain, nothing fancy.

Problem i am having is that when i log into a workstation i expect to see the logon server, using cmd and set log, to be dc3 which is the domain controller that now holds all the fsmo roles. What i see is that the workstation's logon server is dc2. Could there be too much traffic on the switch that dc3 is on and therefore the workstation is getting pushed to another domain controller?

update: actually it is either dc1 or dc2 that it is using as logon server but not the expected dc3. I have verified that my dns entries in order for the dhcp scope are dc3, dc1 and then dc2

update 2: we actually are seeing a mix of all three dc's responding to workstations

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As far as I know, the placement of the FSMO roles has nothing to do with DC selection by the client. In addition, the DC's have no awareness of the network infrastructure so they can't "push" a client to a specific DC based on network conditions.

Here are some articles that detail the DC locator process:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247811

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc978011.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc961830.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/jorge/archive/2007/06/30/dc-locator-process-in-w2k-w2k3-r2-and-w2k8-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/jorge/archive/2007/07/02/dc-locator-process-in-w2k-w2k3-r2-and-w2k8-part-2.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/jorge/archive/2007/07/02/dc-locator-process-in-w2k-w2k3-r2-and-w2k8-part-3.aspx

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  • hey, thanks a lot for the quick reply it is really appreciated, sometimes it is daunting feeling alone in trying to sort the issue. based on what i have read all dc's in a single site or default site have priority 0, which from what i have read means that whichever one is quickest to respond will be the logon server. joeqwerty, any chance that this has been happening all along and i just never realised it until today when i happen to be looking at which logon server the clients are getting? we are able to get on the network and have mappings work correctly, i wonder if i am just being paranoid
    – dasko
    Sep 20, 2011 at 18:43
  • Glad to help. It probably has been going on the whole time. It shouldn't cause any issues if all the clients and the DC's are in the same site. I hear you about trying to get a handle on all of this stuff. Every time I'm here I see answers to questions and say to myself "I didn't know that".
    – joeqwerty
    Sep 20, 2011 at 19:17
  • joeqwerty, it is much appreciated.
    – dasko
    Sep 20, 2011 at 19:20

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