Join to Domain and Login User

Here’s a practical Windows Server + Windows client checklist for joining the client to ccc.local. 1. Check IP configuration Server IP address: 192.168.10.254 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 Preferred DNS: 192.168.10.254 (assuming the server is also the DNS/AD server) Gateway: use your actual LAN gateway if one is configured. Client IP address: 192.168.10.2 Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 Preferred DNS: 192.168.10.254 Do not use 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1, or the router as the client's primary DNS when joining the AD domain. On both machines, run: ipconfig /all Check that the addresses and DNS settings are correct. 2. Disable Windows Firewall temporarily On both Server and Client, open Command Prompt as Administrator: netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off For a real environment, re-enable it after testing: netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on 3. Test network connectivity From the client: ping 192.168.10.254 You should get replies from the server. Then test the server's DNS: nslookup ccc.local Also test the domain controller by name: ping ccc.local If nslookup ccc.local fails, fix DNS before attempting the domain join. You can also check the required AD discovery record: nslookup -type=SRV _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.ccc.local 4. Verify the domain controller On the server, run: ipconfig /all Then: dcdiag If the server is the domain controller for ccc.local, make sure Active Directory Domain Services and DNS Server are running. 5. Join the client to ccc.local On the client: Press Win + R. Enter: sysdm.cpl Open Computer Name → Change. Select Domain. Enter: ccc.local Click OK. When prompted, enter an account that has permission to join computers to the domain. You should receive a message similar to "Welcome to the ccc.local domain." Restart the client. 6. Log in with the existing domain user After restarting, select Other user on the Windows login screen. Use either: CCC\username or: username@ccc.local Enter the existing user's domain password. 7. Verify the domain login After logging in, open CMD and run: whoami You should see something like: ccc\username Then: whoami /fqdn And: echo %USERDOMAIN% You can also verify the computer's domain membership with: systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"Domain" If the domain join fails Run these on the client and check the results: ipconfig /all ping 192.168.10.254 nslookup ccc.local nslookup -type=SRV _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.ccc.local The most common issue in this setup is DNS: the client must normally point its DNS to the domain controller (192.168.10.254), not directly to a public DNS server.