Active Directory domain controllers crash after installing the latest update

Question

Our active directory environment is experiencing a major issue. All domain controllers running Windows Server 2016 spontaneously rebooted and then crashed. Any suggestions for what might be causing this?

Answer 1

Hi @SF-6505You have to unintall the last update on your impacted domain controllers to fix the issue.

You should avoid installing the last update on domain controller running on Windows 2016 ,Windows 2019 and windows 2019. for more information please refer to the following link :

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-server-2022#3271msgdesc

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-12-2024-kb5035857-os-build-20348-2340-a7953024-bae2-4b1a-8fc1-74a17c68203c

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/march-12-2024-kb5035849-os-build-17763-5576-719f5f8d-51c6-43f0-a612-1c15802fed06

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/march-12-2024-kb5035855-os-build-14393-6796-6f2b7253-4f2d-49e9-aef8-c32d0b708a2f

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Answer 2

Based on the information provided in the context, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the issue without more information. However, it is recommended to check if the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 package is installed and up to date, as this has been known to cause issues with the Active Directory Web Services (ADWS) service. Additionally, it is important to ensure that there are enough DNS servers for local, regional, and enterprise-wide redundancy performance, but not so many that management becomes a burden. It is also recommended to stagger the reboots of DNS servers in your enterprise when possible to prevent the only DNS server from being rebooted at the same time.

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References:

• ADWS service crashes after you upgrade
• Troubleshoot DNS Event ID 4013 (The DNS server was unable to load AD-integrated DNS zones)

Answer 3

Hello SF-6505,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Here are some suggestions and additional steps you might consider: 

1.Review Update History: Check the update history on the domain controllers to see if any recent updates were installed before the issue began. This can help determine if a specific update might be the cause. 

2.Check Event Logs: Look at the Event Viewer on the domain controllers for any critical events or error messages that occurred around the time of the crashes. This can provide clues as to what might be causing the issue. 

3.Safe Mode and Uninstall Updates: If a recent update is suspected to be the cause, you can try booting the domain controllers into Safe Mode and then uninstalling the updates to see if this resolves the issue. 

4.Patch Management: Ensure that your patch management practices are up to date and that you are following best practices for testing and deploying updates in a controlled manner to prevent such issues. 

5.Backup and Restore: If you have system state backups of your domain controllers, you might consider restoring from a backup taken before the issue began. 

 

Remember to proceed with caution when making changes to your domain controllers, as they are critical components of your network infrastructure. Always ensure you have backups and a recovery plan in place before making changes.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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