DNS clients Does not query the secondary DNS

[Pratim]

I have got 2 Windows 2003 DCs and both DNS servers are Primary and Secondry. There are clients running XP static IP and in both DNS servers IP is configured as Primary and Secondary DNS. The primary DNS server went down and all clients are not quering the secondary. By using NSLOOKUP it showed that clients are still querying the primary with a timeout error. All the name resolutioned stopped in the organization? Can anyone please help me? Thanks.

[Russell]

I dont think NSLookup automatically fall through to alternate DNS servers, it is not a good way to test server redundancy. Incase you ping a host, which will use the DNS client, then does the name get resolved?

[Pratim]

I think that there is no automatic failover, if the preferred DNS is selected duting boot, it will ignore the other ones listed. Thanks

[Viceman]

The problem you are getting can be caused because the Windows XP DNS Client service (Dnscache) follows a certain algorithm when it decides the order in which it uses the DNS servers configured in the TCP/IP properties. You can take a look at the article that explains this behaviour here - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320760/en-us?p=1

[ahmedgaziyani]

hey one of my freind also faced the similar problem.

he has three 2008 standard sp2 DC in one Active Directory site they all three are active Directory integrated DNS servers and all are Global catalog

DC01 --- ip ---10.1.1.1
DC02 --- ip ---10.1.1.2
DC03 --- ip ---10.1.1.3

10.1.1.1 is set as primary on all servers and desktops and rest two are alternate. i have faced the problem when my 10.1.1.1 was down for H/w issue i was not able to logon on servers which are 2008 member servers why so they should automatically logon to another DC why these not had happened....i was getting there are no logon servers availiable but there where two alternate dns server which were up and working fine but why i am not able logon...can you help me in this as i think this should not happen.......but after reading this post i a started having doubt so i posted.

Can you please help me on this

rgds
Ahmed gaziyani
Enterprise Admin Windows