DNS Resolution Issue
-Client cannot reach a service by name but can reach it by IP — isolate DNS from general network connectivity.
--
-
- Confirm TCP/IP configuration with
ipconfig /all
- - Verify DNS server settings and search suffix -
- Test reachability with
pingagainst both hostname and IP
- - Use
nslookupagainst the primary and a known-good DNS server
- - Flush client resolver cache; compare behavior from another host -
PDC Emulator using its local CMOS clock
+Problem: An AD domain controller reported Local CMOS Clock as its time source. Unreliable domain time can lead to Kerberos clock-skew failures.
Action: Checked the source with w32tm, configured external NTP peers, restarted Windows Time, and resynchronized.
Result: Verified time.windows.com as the source, stratum 5.
Docker Networking Problem
-A container responds locally but is unreachable from other hosts, or outbound requests fail.
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-
- Check container state with
docker psanddocker logs
- - Verify published ports and the attached Docker network -
- Confirm DNS resolution from inside the container -
- Check host firewall rules affecting the bridge or published ports -
- Test HTTP endpoints with
curl -vfrom host and container
-
Restoring a broken domain secure channel
+Problem: WIN11-01 was bridged onto the physical LAN and could not reach DC01 on the VMware NAT subnet. Trust repair initially failed.
+Action: Changed the VM network to NAT, pointed client DNS at DC01, and repaired the machine-account trust.
+Result: Test-ComputerSecureChannel returned True; nltest located DC01 successfully.
Active Directory Permissions Issue
-A user authenticates successfully but cannot access a shared folder they should.
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-
- Confirm the user's identity and group membership -
- Review share permissions and NTFS permissions separately -
- Check for deny ACEs that override group access -
- Validate authentication path and session with
whoami /groups
- - Test access from a known-good account to isolate user vs. share -
AWS IAM Access Problem
-A workload or user receives AccessDenied when calling an AWS service.
--
-
- Identify the exact action, resource, and principal from the error -
- Review attached identity and resource policies against least privilege -
- Check for explicit denies, SCPs, and permission boundaries -
- Reproduce with the IAM Policy Simulator -
- Grant only the specific action needed; verify, then narrow further -