Server Preferences spins when I launch it

Question

Hi there,
I have a Mac Mini server with Snow Leopard Server and I've been using it with no problems until now. Server Admin works great, remote access via VNC and ssh are just fine. However when I launch Server Preferences (whether it's from the same machine or a laptop in the same local network) it spins forever with the infamous beach ball.
A quick grep over ssh shows servermgrd -x running fine on the background.
More info:
* Snow Leopard Server 10.6.6
* system.log shows no easy to spot errors
* Running with a static IP, DNS enabled (named running)
* Server DNS name set as <servername>.local
Any ideas on what could be causing this?
Thanks in advance!
This is what I get when I Force Quit Server Preferences, it seems to be stuck in a loop waiting for a network response:
11 -[ODQuery resultsAllowingPartial:error:] + 119 (in OpenDirectory) [0x7fff88f70e23]
11 _ODQueryCopyResults + 700 (in CFOpenDirectory) [0x7fff857b7b8d]
11 dsDoAttributeValueSearchWithData + 1218 (in DirectoryService) [0x7fff883f6b40]
11 DSTCPEndpoint::GetReplyMessage(sComData**) + 62 (in DirectoryService) [0x7fff88404bfe]
11 DSTCPEndpoint::SyncToMessageBody(unsigned char, unsigned int*) + 68 (in DirectoryService) [0x7fff88404976]
Carles
Message was edited by: poldybloom

Answer 1

MrHoffman wrote:
First, allow me to confirm that you have absolutely no references to any DNS servers off of the 10.0.0.50 LAN? (Whether that's in a DNS server list, as a second DNS server entered in a list, or in a DHCP server, or anywhere here. Again, +no other DNS servers referenced+ here?)
Let's see, in my client laptop, in System Preferences > Network > network controller > Advanced > DNS, the only DNS server is 10.0.0.50. However, under "Search Domains" there is "lan", and I cannot remove it even after authenticating.
Does your DNS server reference only itself (and here, as the 127.0.0.1 host) and reference no other DNS servers? (This via System Preferences > Network > network controller > Advanced > DNS setting.)
In my server, in System Preferences > Network > network controller > Advanced > DNS, all I have is 127.0.01. The "Search Domains" list is empty here.
What do you get when you dig the client from itself, and dig the client from the server?
Hmmm... The client I assume is in a .local domain, since there is no DNS record for it in my server and therefore it is not part of the polyglee.org domain, so I get no answer:
castorp:~ carles$ dig castorp.local
; <<>> DiG 9.6.0-APPLE-P2 <<>> castorp.local
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 18523
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;castorp.local. IN A
;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
. 589 IN SOA a.root-servers.net. nstld.verisign-grs.com. 2011022801 1800 900 604800 86400
;; Query time: 5 msec
;; SERVER: 10.0.0.50#53(10.0.0.50)
;; WHEN: Tue Mar 1 00:08:56 2011
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 106
Same thing from the server:
fyodor:~ carles$ dig castorp.local
; <<>> DiG 9.6.0-APPLE-P2 <<>> castorp.local
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 3486
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;castorp.local. IN A
;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
. 518 IN SOA a.root-servers.net. nstld.verisign-grs.com. 2011022801 1800 900 604800 86400
;; Query time: 0 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
;; WHEN: Tue Mar 1 00:12:16 2011
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 106
Do you think I should add a record for my laptop in the DNS server? An "A" record in the zone I assume.
Thanks,
Carles