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#207521 - 2013-07-26 11:09 PM Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working
klingk Offline
Just in Town

Registered: 2004-02-10
Posts: 3
I'm really at a loss on this.... I've been using Kix since 2000 and it's been a great tool to have around.

I'm phasing out an old DC and need to make some changes to printer maps to the new server, which I have always done with Kix, great way to set a default printer on a workstation when you have users that wander around and just want to print to the printer that is closest to them... anyway....

The odd thing is that it's just inconsistent with the new version....

I have simplified the script down to a print and sleep to eliminate any issues with the script and that makes no difference, it seems that kix isn't being called sometimes, usually most of the time.

I can run the script if I mount the netlogin directory and run it manually.

Old version is "KiXtart 95 3.63" - date on file is some time in 2000..... old.
New version is "KiXtart 2010 4.63".

Clients are Windows XP and Windows 7.

Server is 2008 R2.

One variable I haven't been able to rule out is that almost all logins are being serviced by a 2003 server rather than the "main" DC as indicated by %logonserver% and I don't know if that is the variable that is making it inconsistent.

I have confirmed that replication is working so both DCs are looking at the same executable and script, and actually checked the files to make sure the replication directories are updating when I've tested it.

I had read someplace ( though the documentation doesn't indicate this ) that some version changed the kixtart.kix as the default script name.

I changed the script entry on every user account to "kix32.exe kixtart.kix" and it still doesn't work consistently with the new version.

Any other information that would be helpful ?

Any suggestions ?

Thanks !

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#207522 - 2013-07-26 11:37 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: klingk]
ShaneEP Moderator Offline
MM club member
*****

Registered: 2002-11-29
Posts: 2125
Loc: Tulsa, OK
I would recommend putting the full path to the kix32.exe and kixtart.kix in the user account and see if that helps. Only thing I can think of off the top of my head.

%logonserver%\netlogon\kix32.exe %logonserver%\netlogon\kixtart.kix

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#207523 - 2013-07-27 01:16 AM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: ShaneEP]
Glenn Barnas Administrator Offline
KiX Supporter
*****

Registered: 2003-01-28
Posts: 4396
Loc: New Jersey
Actually, not %LOGONSERVER% but \\YOUR_DOMAIN.. don't want to specify a server as the one that processed your logon may not be the one that actually serves up the script and GPOs.

Not likely, though, nor should defining the fully qualified path be needed..

Something you can try - download the Universal Login Script from my web site. Delete ALL of the sample resource entries from the login.ini, but leave the COMMON section intact. Copy the INI and Kixtart.Kix (rename if necessary to avoid conflict with your script) to your NetLogon folder. Create an empty LoginDebug.log file in your %USERPROFILE% folder, then invoke the ULS.. the resulting debug information may provide some insight to the problem if it's related to Kix or your environment settings. I'd go so far as to point to it in your user profile so you can see the state of the environment during the login process. The LoginDebug.log file will be filled with information about the Kix environment, version, group memberships, and the user environment. The ULS is compiled (tokenized) and has versions for 4.63 and other popular releases in the ZIP file - this will verify that Kix can reliably launch a script in your environment and focus attention on the actual problem.

Also, moving from Kix32 3.x to 4.63 might require paying close attention to the syntax of commands/functions in your script. Some things were eliminated and others changed slightly over the years.

Glenn
_________________________
Actually I am a Rocket Scientist! \:D

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#207524 - 2013-07-27 04:26 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: Glenn Barnas]
ShaneEP Moderator Offline
MM club member
*****

Registered: 2002-11-29
Posts: 2125
Loc: Tulsa, OK
Oh yeah, you're right Glenn. Shows how long I've been out of the loop as far as network administration goes.
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#207526 - 2013-07-27 06:36 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: ShaneEP]
Robdutoit Offline
Hey THIS is FUN
***

Registered: 2012-03-27
Posts: 363
Loc: London, England
Just off the top of my head. Windows Server 2008 R2 is 64 bit right? If you are mapping printers, you may need to include the 32 bit drivers in the print share if your clients are 32 bit. I am assuming that you are getting the printers from the 2003 server, but not the 2008 server.

I don't think that your problem is a kixtart issue. The key factor here is you have a new server, so I think that there is an underlying problem here. Dns resolution, 64 bit versus 32 bit etc etc.

If you state that the script works perfectly if you run it manually from the netlogon folder, then I would rule out issues with 64 bit printers or a kixtart issue. If you can run kixtart manually and everything works as expected, then the problem is active directory or Windows Server.

I don't know why you are running the kixtart executable from the user profile tab. Rather run it as a logon script in active directory. I had problems with windows 7 when running the scripts from the user account. Running my scripts as startup and logon scripts solved 95% of my problems with Kixtart and Windows 7. this may or may not fix your issue.

When running from the gpo. You do need to state kix32.exe kixtart.kix as you mentioned earlier on. Older versions assumed that you were using kixtart.kix but you now have to explicitly define it.

The %logonserver% variable makes kixtart use the name of the server that you are logging on from. If the 2003 server is predominantly the logon server, then you have some kind of dns, dhcp issue or something as the logon server should be random unless you explicitly state that server A is for the small office and Server B is for the headquarters. It sounds to me like your Server 2008 is the issue, rather than the new kixtart executable. Put the old kixtart executable back in on both servers and see if this changes anything. I am not sure if the old version works on 2008 as it predates even xp lol !

My best suggestion would be to try running the script as a logon script and to test something else in the script. My favourite test is to copy a file from the netlogon folder to a newly created folder on the c: drive. This is a simple test and does not rely on complicating factors such as 64 bit or 32 bit drivers like your printers and other 64 bit odd issues.

Just one point about Glenn's suggestion about using \\domain_name. I would not use this for testing purposes as I have found that if the computer boots too fast, it doesn't resolve \\domain_name\ in time. I had this exact issue with my startup scripts where I told the script to use \\domain_name\netlogon\patches and at most of my clients, it worked perfectly, but at two of my clients, I had issues on some computers and not others. The two key factors were brand new fast computers and a slightly sluggish network as the switches are old or busy. The one client has an old switch which they cannot afford to replace in this budget as they allocated all their IT budget to purchasing other things. The other client I will investigate what the problem is, but I believe it to be shoddy cabling that is the cause. In any event, I would NOT recommend using \\domain_name for testing purposes because it does take longer for the client to resolve \\domain_name than it does to resolve $servername. You cannot use %logonserver% variable in the startup script, only in the logon script, as you are not logging on in the startup script. Simplest solution would be to state in your logon script that $servername = "myserver" and that eliminates a lot of troubleshooting. You can try both $Servername = "2003Server" and $ServerName = "2008Server"

My believe is that you have a DNS or windows server active directory issue or something. If you can run the script manually, then problem is not kixtart.

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#207527 - 2013-07-28 05:52 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: klingk]
Glenn Barnas Administrator Offline
KiX Supporter
*****

Registered: 2003-01-28
Posts: 4396
Loc: New Jersey
 Originally Posted By: klingk
I have simplified the script down to a print and sleep to eliminate any issues with the script and that makes no difference, it seems that kix isn't being called sometimes, usually most of the time.

I can run the script if I mount the netlogin directory and run it manually.
Does the problem occur more after a workstation reboot than after a logoff/logon sequence? If so, does your group policy define the "Wait for network at startup" policy? This is a recommended policy setting for any network with an AD domain. Starting with XP, this setting was disabled to allow personal users to view the Windows desktop faster than earlier versions. Good for home users, but results in intermittent login script and GPO execution in domain networks.
 Originally Posted By: klingk
One variable I haven't been able to rule out is that almost all logins are being serviced by a 2003 server rather than the "main" DC as indicated by %logonserver% and I don't know if that is the variable that is making it inconsistent.
Since your domain is in mixed mode, your 2K3 server is likely still the PDCe. The 2K8 server won't be your "main" DC unless you have multiple subnets, have properly defined them in Sites & Services AND have moved the FSMO roles to the new DC.

When a user is authenticated, it is done by the first DC to respond. The preferred DC (by site, then subnet, then netmask ordering) is then selected to process the login script and group policy application. Thus, the DC that authenticates may not be the one that actually processes the login. There is a registry setting that I've found to be enabled on many W2K3 DCs that defines a "sticky association", so that the server that authenticates will process the login, ignoring any closer DC. I'll try to locate the key when I get to the office on Monday. Be sure that this is disabled!
 Originally Posted By: klingk
I have confirmed that replication is working so both DCs are looking at the same executable and script, and actually checked the files to make sure the replication directories are updating when I've tested it.

I had read someplace ( though the documentation doesn't indicate this ) that some version changed the kixtart.kix as the default script name.

I changed the script entry on every user account to "kix32.exe kixtart.kix" and it still doesn't work consistently with the new version.
While this won't hurt anything, it's only required with 4.60 and 4.61. This was actually a bug was introduced with 4.60 and resolved in 4.62. Oddly, the error only occurs during login (when you really need it most!). All Kix32 versions properly auto-locate the kixtart.kix script when called without arguments.

Couple of other questions -
Do both DCs run DNS?
Are they in sync?
Do both use AD-Integrated Zones?
Are both (all) DCs defined in the _msdcs\_sites\<sitename>\_tcp folder with SRV records for _ldap and _kerberos? Also check the _pdc path under the _msdcs folder to insure the PDCe is properly listed with an _ldap record. These are the DNS records used to locate DCs on the network and assign priorities.

Also, make sure that each DNS server references the OTHER DNS server first, and then references itself via the server's primary IP address (not the loopback!).

Since you say you can run the script manually, the script, Kix32, and the print server aren't the issue. It comes down to being able to locate the netlogon share during login, and the two most common issues are not waiting for the network to be ready (GPO) and having missing or invalid SRV records for the DCs (which can happen if errors occur during the initial AD sync).

Any interesting/suspicious messages in the event log on the W-7 client or the DCs?

* regarding "mapping to the netlogon share" to test your script, a realistic way to test this is to open a command prompt, put "\\domain\netlogon;" in front of your PATH
 Code:
SET PATH=\\domain\netlogon;%PATH%
and then invoke the login script as
 Code:
kix32.exe kixtart.kix
Your script should run just as it does during the login process. Make sure you are in a directory that does not contain a copy of Kix or a kixtart.kix script when you invoke this, such as the root of C:.

Glenn
_________________________
Actually I am a Rocket Scientist! \:D

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#207530 - 2013-07-28 07:59 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: Glenn Barnas]
Robdutoit Offline
Hey THIS is FUN
***

Registered: 2012-03-27
Posts: 363
Loc: London, England
I think we should give klingk a medal. It has to be a record. he has been a member for what nine years, and this is the first time he has posted? !!! After nine years!
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#207531 - 2013-07-29 02:46 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: Robdutoit]
klingk Offline
Just in Town

Registered: 2004-02-10
Posts: 3
Wow, great responses above and much more than I expected, let me digest them and I'll make sure I leave information on what I do and the results ( I hate when people don't do that ).

As noted above, I have been signed up for 9 years ( been using Kix longer than that), and not HAD to post anything.... this is the first issue I've run into where it didn't work as documented, which says great things about Kix !

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#207638 - 2013-08-23 05:20 PM Re: Upgraded to latest version and login scripts stop working [Re: klingk]
klingk Offline
Just in Town

Registered: 2004-02-10
Posts: 3
Just wanted to post that I haven't broken my promise to post my results... yet, I was on vacation and I'm just getting back around to this problem !
Sorry !

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