[Active Directory/SSSD] [sssd[ldap_child[xxxxx]]]: Failed to initialize credentials using keytab [MEMORY:/etc/krb5.keytab]: Client ‘host/thisisaverylongdomainname.org@EXAMPLE’ not found in Kerberos database. Unable to create GSSAPI-encrypted LDAP connection.

This error can be caused by a few different reasons. In this particular case it’s a Centos 6 server connection to a Microsoft Active Directory 2016 DC. The short version of the story is that even though the FQDN has a valid key in the krb5 keytab it will only properly authenticate using the short name (pre-2000 name). This can be done by changing the hostname but I find it better to force it in the /etc/sssd/sssd.conf in the domain section:

ad_hostname = THISISVERYLONGD

ad_domain = EXAMPLE.COM

That will force SSSD to use the short name.