Cannot setup database mirroring on NT 4.0 network

  • I'm trying to setup database mirroring on a few of my 2005 servers but our network DHCP and PDC are still running on NT 4.0 network.

    With Database mirroring i get these errors:

    Error: 1418 - Microsoft SQL Server - The server network address can not be reached or does not exist. Check the network address name and reissue the command. The server network endpoint did not respond because the specified server network address cannot be reached or does not exist.

    And another error specifying that i should use FQDN which in NT 4.0 impossible is this true?

    Has anyone setup database mirroring in NT 4.0 network?

    Thanks

    Alex S
  • I assume your clients are Win95 🙂 😀 😛 😉

    OK, enough. NT 4 was a product of the 90's. Stop searching for an answer, upgrade your OS. Ever thought about the risk of bugs or security issues in NT 4? What about support?

    Wilfred
    The best things in life are the simple things

  • Your DHCP should be providing a domain suffix if it's setup right. This is standard and was standard back in the 90s. I know you indicated you're still on an NT 4.0 domain but do you have DNS servers in place? If so, do they service an internal domain (in DNS nomenclature, not Windows)?

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • Wilfred van Dijk (8/14/2008)


    I assume your clients are Win95 🙂 😀 😛 😉

    OK, enough. NT 4 was a product of the 90's. Stop searching for an answer, upgrade your OS. Ever thought about the risk of bugs or security issues in NT 4? What about support?

    Having been in a position where I was still having to support an NT 4.0 domain well after support ended, I'm sure his organization has weighed the risks. It's not as uncommon as you might think. Consider the fact that Microsoft had an upgrade path in place for NT 4.0 to Windows 2003 Active Directory. Also, when speaking with Symantec, who purchased BindView, within the last month, they were asking about NT 4.0 domains in relation to auditing environments. So that means they are still around in some number.

    The NT 4.0 domain structure was relatively stable until you had to start scaling and worrying about multiple domain models. Don't get me wrong, I'll stick with AD any day. But upgrading isn't exactly a quick and easy thing to do.

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • K. Brian Kelley (8/14/2008)


    Wilfred van Dijk (8/14/2008)


    I assume your clients are Win95 🙂 😀 😛 😉

    OK, enough. NT 4 was a product of the 90's. Stop searching for an answer, upgrade your OS. Ever thought about the risk of bugs or security issues in NT 4? What about support?

    Having been in a position where I was still having to support an NT 4.0 domain well after support ended, I'm sure his organization has weighed the risks. It's not as uncommon as you might think. Consider the fact that Microsoft had an upgrade path in place for NT 4.0 to Windows 2003 Active Directory. Also, when speaking with Symantec, who purchased BindView, within the last month, they were asking about NT 4.0 domains in relation to auditing environments. So that means they are still around in some number.

    The NT 4.0 domain structure was relatively stable until you had to start scaling and worrying about multiple domain models. Don't get me wrong, I'll stick with AD any day. But upgrading isn't exactly a quick and easy thing to do.

    I'm working with network admin to fix the DHCP suffix.

    Thank you

    Alex S
  • If all else fails, interact with your admins to modify the hosts file on each system. It's located at:

    %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc

    You can put in entries for each server participating, for instance, all the other mirror servers and the witness. For the witness, all the mirror servers. This works because when the operating system attempts to look up a hostname via TCP/IP, it follows the following pattern:

    - Checks DNS cache

    - Checks hosts file

    - Queries DNS server

    - Goes the NetBIOS route

    If it goes the NetBIOS route, here's how it does lookup:

    - Checks NetBIOS cache

    - Checks lmhosts files

    - Queries WINS server

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • It's also possible to assign an IP address directly but you have to use TSQL as SSMS will validate the value in the mirroring window (giving the FQDN error).

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