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The Active Directory validation test fails in a failover cluster in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows Server 2008

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Article ID: 2109222 - Last Review: October 8, 2010 - Revision: 6.1

The Active Directory validation test fails in a failover cluster in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows Server 2008

SYMPTOMS


When you run the Validate Active Directory Configuration validation test for failover clusters in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows Server 2008, the test fails. Additionally, you receive the following error message: 

The organizational unit of node Nodename.contoso.com could not be determined because of this error: There was an error getting information about the organization unit for node ‘Nodename.conotos.com' from the domain 'contoso.com'.


CAUSE

This issue occurs because the cluster node has a NetBIOS name that contains more than 15 characters. 

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, make sure that the cluster node has a NetBIOS name that contains no more than 15 characters. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Start Server Manager. To start Server Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then select Server Manager.
  2. Select Change system properties.
  3. On the Computer Name tab, click Change.

MORE INFORMATION


When you name a computer by using more than 15 characters, you receive a message that warns you that the name will be truncated: 

The NetBIOS name of the computer is limited to 15 bytes, which is 15 characters in this case. The NetBIOS name of the computer will be shortened to "<shortenedname>", which may cause conflicts under NetBIOS name resolution.


A sample warning is shown here.

 
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warning






When the cluster validation test is executed, the Validate Active Directory Configuration test fails, as you can see in the following example. 

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validation test





APPLIES TO
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
Keywords: 
kbclustering KB2109222
       

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