How To Resolve HostnameChanger Domain Error! ('Unknown Error' Code: 8557)

[SouperGrover]

I recently encountered the above error when reimaging a workstation. I couldn’t find anything on the error in the FOG forums or documentation, so I thought I would post my resolution here.

FOG uses Microsoft’s ‘djoin’ utility to join the computer to your domain. Many of the errors that come from the hostnamechanger FOG process are actually djoin errors. Here’s a link to the Microsoft article discussing possible errors https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc961817.aspxt

Error Code 8557 is ERROR_DS_MACHINE_ACCOUNT_QUOTA_EXCEEDED. By default an account can only join 10 computers to Active Directory before meeting it’s quota. To change the default level we need ADSI Edit. You will need Server Support tools installed on the Domain Controller or RSAT installed on a workstation or member server to get the ADSI Edit utility

1. Click Start->Run and enter ‘adsiedit.msc’.
2. Expand the Domain node right-click on the object that begins with “DC=” and contains the domain name of your domain
3. Click Properties.
4. Find ms-DS-MachineAccountQuota on the Attribute Editor tab and click Edit.
5. Enter in the number of workstation you want users to be able to add. If you set it to 0 they cannot add workstations at all. If you don’t want a limit click ‘Clear’ DON’T JUST DELETE IT!!
6. Click OK to close the Integer Attribute Editor dialog box and OK again to close the Properties box.
7. Close ADSI Edit.
8. Reboot the workstation - it should not join the domain as expected.

Hope this can help someone

[Wayne Workman]

How strange.

Here’s the text from that article:

The user has joined so many computers that he has exceeded the default per user computer quota (by default, 10).
ERROR_DS_MACHINE_ACCOUNT_QUOTA_EXCEEDED
8557

I would tend to think I would have encountered this error many times now, I’ve used the same account to join thousands of computers to a domain. What’s different about your setup?

[SouperGrover]

This site is still running Server 2003. Maybe that limitation no longer exists in newer AD versions?

[george1421]

[moderator note] Moving to Technical / FOG Problems. This was in Tutorials