Joining a computer to domain - Changing SID?

Hello,

When our IT staff deploys computers, we generally build a base Windows image, and then create an image (using Ghost). We then deploy this to computers and we join the computer to a domain.

Now, I realize this is not a supported practice by Microsoft, but I have seen postings from MS MVP's that the computer SID will change when you add a computer to a domain, and we have not had duplicate SID's utilizing this method before.

However, we have just built an image with SP3 and deploying that as we usually have, and figuring the SID has changed upon joining the domain. This has not been happening. We discovered this through our WSUS Server not showing all the new computers as we were deploying them, yet the computers were receiving updates.

We are now fixing the issue by using NewSID to change the SID.

Has the functionality of SP3 changed where the computer SID no longer changes when you join it to a domain? We have only experienced this problem with computers running SP3 before adding them to a domain. Computers with SP2 or lower has not been affected.

I have searched the SP3 changelogs to see if this was a purposeful decision, but I am wondering if the enhanced network functionality that SP3 provided in turn removed the SID changing process, or is this in fact a bug of some sort that could have been overlooked?

Andre

Continue reading...