Microsoft KB Archive/295933

= A DNS Server Sends a &quot;Server Failure&quot; Message When It Receives a Non-Authoritative Response =

Article ID: 295933

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a

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This article was previously published under Q295933



SYMPTOMS
The resolution of e-mail names and other names may not work if a Windows 2000-based or Windows NT 4.0-based Domain Name System (DNS) server receives a non-authoritative response from a root hint or forwarder. The Windows 2000-based or Windows NT 4.0-based DNS server sends a &quot;Server Failure&quot; message to the client when it receives a Start of Authority (SOA) record from a non-authoritative resource.

Some non-Microsoft DNS servers (for example, some BIND versions) cache empty authoritative responses, which Windows 2000-based and Windows NT 4.0-based DNS servers consider to be referrals. When a Windows 2000-based or Windows NT 4.0-based DNS server receives such a response, the response is ignored and a &quot;Server Failure&quot; message is sent to the client instead of the SOA record.



Windows 2000
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name -  18-May-2001  14:21  5.0.2195.3618  324,368  Dns.exe

Windows NT 4.0
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:   Date         Time   Version      Size     File name ---  22-May-2001  18:05  4.0.1381.70  178,960  Dns.exe



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.



MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

249149 Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes

Additional query words: kbDirServices

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbwin2000presp3fix kbqfe kbwin2000sp3fix kbdirservices kbhotfixserver KB295933

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