Forum Discussion
Server 2025 Core ADDS DC, Network Profile Showing as "Public" and not as "DomainAuthenticated"
OS: Windows Server 20225 Standard Core (no GUI), build 26085.1
Role: ADDS, DNS
ForestMode: Windows2025Forest
DomainMode: Windows2025Domain
Platform: Hyper-V guest
When standing up a clean Windows Server 2025 using server core and configuring it as a domain controller, the network category (profile) always shows as "public."
A clean load of Windows Server 2022 with server core as a domain controller has the same behavior. However, in Server 2022, the fix is to add DNS as a required service to the nlasvc (Network Location Awareness) service. Once that is done, the network category reflects "DomainAuthenticed" and persists between reboots.
In Server 2025, the nlasvc service does not have the same requiredservices as Windows Server 2022, and it does not start automatically. Even after configuring the nlasvc service the same way it is in Server 2022 and adding DNS as a required service, the network category still reflects "public." The only way to get the network category to properly reflect the "DomainAuthenticated" status is to disable and reenable the network adapter after each reboot.
85 Replies
Unbelievable this is still an issue in the final build 26100.1742. I upgraded 2022 DCs in two different domains to 2025 and all of them have the public firewall profile set unless/until I disable/re-enable the nic.
- We have upgraded some DCs and ran into this issue. Came here trying to find a solution....
So it looks like M$ has known about this earlier this year, I don't understand why it persists on new builds. I was under the impression it was a new issue, but nope. They've know for over 6 months and still haven't fixed. Ridiculous.- Update: The only solution we have found is disabling and re-enabling the NIC.
I don't understand why we are scripting this on an issue that Microsoft was aware of over 6 months ago...
Again, what percentage of DCs do sysadmins want set to public? I'm still confused why anyone would want that in the first place.
I just came across this problem and my solution was to make a ps script that disables and re-enables the Ethernet Adapter. Then I scheduled a task delayed by 1 min at startup, so that at least I don't have to do it manually every time I reboot.
- AlwaysExpectDomainController does not work with Server 2025.
Re-enables the Ethernet Adapter sounds like a workaround.
When can we expect a solution?Stefan_Voigt this is still a problem, even on the latest build of Server 2025. I have tried every suggestion, and the only thing that works is a scheduled task that does restart-netadapter * - that is not a solution. Microsoft needs to really focus on this. It's only when it becomes a DC that it does this. I really really really hope they don't let this bug roll into RTM, I've been following it since early vNext, and it's still lingering.
- This is an issue that exists for a while now in previous versions, and still not fixed from MS...
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-server-for-it-pro/windows-server-2022-unable-to-restart-network-location-awareness/td-p/2722898 The correct fix to this is adding a key to the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters
Add a DWORD parameter : AlwaysExpectDomainController
Set value to: 1Check this: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/400385/network-location-awareness-not-detecting-domain-ne
