Slow Logon

HussainU · 06-18-2009, 10:22 AM

Hi everyone,

We have a domain at the moment and when users are logging in, its taking ages to login.
the users in Ad have a My Documents Folder Re-direct and also a roaming profile (not terminal services)
at first i thought it might be because of the server the roaming goes back to, but tried a different server and same issue. Then tried it with no Roaming and it logged in very quickly
this is deffinatley Server - profile related
can anyone suggest anything to improve logon speed when using the Roaming profile.
As we need this to allow users to logon on anywhere.

elprezidente · 06-19-2009, 06:16 AM

How big are the users roaming profiles? What does the network infrastructure look like (switches, NIC cards from the servers)?
Check the permissions on the profiles.
Try redirecting their desktop folders through active directory and see if that helps.
Turn off caching on the profiles share as well.

HussainU · 06-20-2009, 09:18 PM

The roaming profiles vary in size but max is 50mb, but this happens to all users
The network is managed by a different team but they have checked everything and there is nothing wrong from the network point of view.
The site is connected via MPLS and is not over utilized or anything.

how can you turn the caching of?
if u do dat will it not slow it down more? as it has to pull it all through everytime?

HussainU · 06-20-2009, 09:19 PM

p.s Desktop is redirected by Folder Redirect in AD allready
its just when users Local Profile is set to Roam in AD

**bilbus** · 06-21-2009, 01:39 AM

are you sure you dont have external dns enabled on the dc or workstation? Only DCs should be on your ip dns list.

HussainU · 06-22-2009, 02:06 AM

not 100% how you mean
but the DNS is not on the same site, DNS server is in HQ

**bilbus** · 06-22-2009, 02:36 AM

just dont use dns servers that are not the ip addresses of domain controlers .. local as in your AD struture

HussainU · 06-23-2009, 02:07 AM

so make the DC the DNS?

elprezidente · 06-23-2009, 05:51 AM

If the DNS for the workstations are not properly configured to resolve internal network names then that is probably the problem right there. At all of my clients I have the DNS pointing back to a DC then any external requests are handled by the DNS forwarders. If you want to do a quick test I guess you could add the server/s that host the roaming profile as manual entries in your hosts file. At least that should take the DNS out as a cause of the problem.

HussainU · 06-24-2009, 02:09 AM

ok just to get this right
on a client pc ad the roaming profile server in the host file and test the logon

Then make the PC point to the DC for the DNS and the DC will forward it from there.

this will tell me where the problem lies

elprezidente · 06-24-2009, 05:46 AM

The point of adding entries to the host file is to take the DNS out of play. The PC will use the host file to look up the ip assigned to a particular computer. I've had to use it on consulting jobs where the in house IT had improperly configured DNS servers and the workstations couldn't resolve names properly (sometimes they refuse to fix anything in fear of breaking something). How many servers are you dealing with? Try adding an entry for every server and see if it resolves the issue. At least then you know that it's some sort of DNS issue. It's a quick test. If the host file still doesn't make a difference then chances are we're not dealing with a DNS problem at all. Don't point the DNS to the DC when doing this as a test although eventually you should. Leave the TCP IP settings unchanged. If you change both then we'll lose track of what worked.

Are the PC's in remote offices. If so what kind of link runs between them?

HussainU · 06-25-2009, 02:27 AM

ok i will try this with a user today and get back to you

we have 3 different Profile Servers, but i will test with one user on one server see if it makes a difference.

**bilbus** · 06-25-2009, 12:56 PM

just add the domain controlers as the primary and secondary dns servers on a workstation. When that fixes it change dhcp / manual ip config on every workstation and server. Also domain controlers should NOT have a external dns server anywhere on its tcp-ip settings ... it does not need that to resolve names.

What he was telling you to do was to conferm that dns is the problem, but i think it will just confuse you more.

HussainU · 06-26-2009, 02:01 AM

guess what it fixed it self over night!!! god knows how
nothing has changed on site ..one of the othe guys put some software in to monitor it an its fine now :s

**bilbus** · 06-29-2009, 01:05 PM

then its not fixed .. it's just not acting up.

HussainU · 06-30-2009, 02:10 AM

rite had some help from a consultant who was on site for training on a new AD product
and he said its probably because there on different subnet masks .. AS in the AD server for the other site is a different sm as Main ad here.
which is true .. plus the server it is on is **** ...
this is now under investigation by voice and data to check the masking

**bilbus** · 07-03-2009, 09:58 PM

You can have DNS servers in another subnet, as long as they are reachable.

If you can ping the other server, you can put any subnet mask you want.

Don't put to much faith in consultants ..

06-18-2009, 10:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Slow Logon Hi everyone, We have a domain at the moment and when users are logging in, its taking ages to login. the users in Ad have a My Documents Folder Re-direct and also a roaming profile (not terminal services) at first i thought it might be because of the server the roaming goes back to, but tried a different server and same issue. Then tried it with no Roaming and it logged in very quickly this is deffinatley Server - profile related can anyone suggest anything to improve logon speed when using the Roaming profile. As we need this to allow users to logon on anywhere.

06-19-2009, 06:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
elprezidente Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Slow Logon How big are the users roaming profiles? What does the network infrastructure look like (switches, NIC cards from the servers)? Check the permissions on the profiles. Try redirecting their desktop folders through active directory and see if that helps. Turn off caching on the profiles share as well.

06-20-2009, 09:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon The roaming profiles vary in size but max is 50mb, but this happens to all users The network is managed by a different team but they have checked everything and there is nothing wrong from the network point of view. The site is connected via MPLS and is not over utilized or anything. how can you turn the caching of? if u do dat will it not slow it down more? as it has to pull it all through everytime?

06-20-2009, 09:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon p.s Desktop is redirected by Folder Redirect in AD allready its just when users Local Profile is set to Roam in AD

06-21-2009, 01:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
bilbus TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 950 OS: OS2 Warp	Re: Slow Logon are you sure you dont have external dns enabled on the dc or workstation? Only DCs should be on your ip dns list.

06-22-2009, 02:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon not 100% how you mean but the DNS is not on the same site, DNS server is in HQ

06-22-2009, 02:36 AM	#7 (permalink)
bilbus TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 950 OS: OS2 Warp	Re: Slow Logon just dont use dns servers that are not the ip addresses of domain controlers .. local as in your AD struture

06-23-2009, 02:07 AM	#8 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon so make the DC the DNS?

06-23-2009, 05:51 AM	#9 (permalink)
elprezidente Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Slow Logon If the DNS for the workstations are not properly configured to resolve internal network names then that is probably the problem right there. At all of my clients I have the DNS pointing back to a DC then any external requests are handled by the DNS forwarders. If you want to do a quick test I guess you could add the server/s that host the roaming profile as manual entries in your hosts file. At least that should take the DNS out as a cause of the problem.

06-24-2009, 02:09 AM	#10 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon ok just to get this right on a client pc ad the roaming profile server in the host file and test the logon Then make the PC point to the DC for the DNS and the DC will forward it from there. this will tell me where the problem lies

06-24-2009, 05:46 AM	#11 (permalink)
elprezidente Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Slow Logon The point of adding entries to the host file is to take the DNS out of play. The PC will use the host file to look up the ip assigned to a particular computer. I've had to use it on consulting jobs where the in house IT had improperly configured DNS servers and the workstations couldn't resolve names properly (sometimes they refuse to fix anything in fear of breaking something). How many servers are you dealing with? Try adding an entry for every server and see if it resolves the issue. At least then you know that it's some sort of DNS issue. It's a quick test. If the host file still doesn't make a difference then chances are we're not dealing with a DNS problem at all. Don't point the DNS to the DC when doing this as a test although eventually you should. Leave the TCP IP settings unchanged. If you change both then we'll lose track of what worked. Are the PC's in remote offices. If so what kind of link runs between them? Last edited by elprezidente; 06-24-2009 at 05:48 AM.

06-25-2009, 02:27 AM	#12 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon ok i will try this with a user today and get back to you we have 3 different Profile Servers, but i will test with one user on one server see if it makes a difference.

06-25-2009, 12:56 PM	#13 (permalink)
bilbus TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 950 OS: OS2 Warp	Re: Slow Logon just add the domain controlers as the primary and secondary dns servers on a workstation. When that fixes it change dhcp / manual ip config on every workstation and server. Also domain controlers should NOT have a external dns server anywhere on its tcp-ip settings ... it does not need that to resolve names. What he was telling you to do was to conferm that dns is the problem, but i think it will just confuse you more.

06-26-2009, 02:01 AM	#14 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon guess what it fixed it self over night!!! god knows how nothing has changed on site ..one of the othe guys put some software in to monitor it an its fine now :s

06-29-2009, 01:05 PM	#15 (permalink)
bilbus TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 950 OS: OS2 Warp	Re: Slow Logon then its not fixed .. it's just not acting up.

06-30-2009, 02:10 AM	#16 (permalink)
HussainU Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 62 OS: Xp	Re: Slow Logon rite had some help from a consultant who was on site for training on a new AD product and he said its probably because there on different subnet masks .. AS in the AD server for the other site is a different sm as Main ad here. which is true .. plus the server it is on is **** ... this is now under investigation by voice and data to check the masking

07-03-2009, 09:58 PM	#17 (permalink)
bilbus TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 950 OS: OS2 Warp	Re: Slow Logon You can have DNS servers in another subnet, as long as they are reachable. If you can ping the other server, you can put any subnet mask you want. Don't put to much faith in consultants ..