Network woes...

[RedMeister 0]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to network two Windows 2000 machines (a PII 266, LX m/b and an Athlon 1Gig, A7V) - but with no success.

I've put on a fresh install of Win2k (no SP) with the NICs installed (3COM PCI 3C905C-TX). Using just TCP/IP with the newer pc as 192.168.1.1 and the older at 192.168.1.2, I can see the newer pc from the older (but can't browse it). The newer machine cannot see the PII at all. They are on the same workgroup. I'm logged in as admin on both with shares for everbody on both machines. Client for MS networks and file and printer sharing is installed. I have run the 3com diagnostics (with latest 3com driver - I also tried the native win2k driver) and the cards check out ok (I'm using a crossover cable). I disabled ACPI when I reinstalled win2k on the Athlon (hit F5 during install as suggested elsewhere on this board) and both NICs have IRQs to themselves. The link light comes on on both.

I've also tried installing IPX and NetBEUI - but this doesn't seem to help. Weirdly a direct parallel connection connects fine and allows me to share files!

 

The following appear in the event log on the newer machine: Event Type: Warning

Event Source: BROWSER

Event Category: None

Event ID: 8021

Date: 19/08/2000

Time: 22:10:33

User: N/A

Computer: PC2

Description:

The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\PC1 on the network \Device\Nbf_{C090DEBA-A80E-48A7-9742-8246314C643D}. The data is the error code.

Data:

0000: 35 00 00 00 5...

and then:

Event Type: Error

Event Source: BROWSER

Event Category: None

Event ID: 8032

Date: 19/08/2000

Time: 22:12:39

User: N/A

Computer: PC2

Description:

The browser service has failed to retrieve the backup list too many times on transport \Device\Nbf_{C090DEBA-A80E-48A7-9742-8246314C643D}. The backup browser is stopping.

Data:

0000: 35 00 00 00 5...

 

I can't understand what's wrong! Can anybody help? Many thanks..

[Toby 0]

Hi

 

Try uninstall (not just unbind) the file&printer sharing on both computers and the reinstall then.

 

(Not sure about the Client for MS Networks, if the file&print sharing don't do the trick try it...)

 

This should set the values in your registry.

 

 

// Toby

[Toby 0]

Forgot to mention...

 

The problem it solved for me:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q254/5/27.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=tech&FR=0

 

Since it's Event ID: 8032 it might work for you to...

 

 

// Toby

[RedMeister 0]

Thanks for your reply - unfortunately no joy. I still have IP/IPX/NetBEUI on but to no avail. I reinstalled file/printer sharing and client for ms networks as you suggested. The newer PC (called PC2 on workgroup WORK) can see it self and also lists PC1 (but gives "\\pc1 not accessible" when I click on it). The machine PC1 cannot even see itself. There is nothing strange in the event log of PC2 - but PC1 has "The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer PC2 that believes that it is the master browser for the domain on transport MwlnkNb. The master browser is stopping or an election is being forced. Event ID 8003 Source MRxSmb". Then event ID 8021 - unable to retrieve list of servers from browser master \\PC2

 

Do I have to set up DNS or lmhosts or something? I'm confused - I'd have thought that one protocol or another might work!

 

Thanks, Redmond.

 

[This message has been edited by RedMeister (edited 20 August 2000).]

[MoreLight 0]

Before you can worry about file and printer sharing you have to make sure both computers communicate with each other at the protocol and hardware level. You should be fine using IP on them and not worry about IPX and the client for networks.

 

Here are a few steps to verify that:

 

1. at a command prompt run "ipconfig". this will display the IP address and subnet for each of your computers. if you see a subnet of 0.0.0.0 this means you have a duplicate IP address.

 

2. on each computer at the command prompt run "ping 127.0.0.1" this is a loopback address that will verify that tcp/ip is correctly installed on each computer.

 

3. at this point you should have found and documented each computers "real" ip address. now run the "ping" command with the address of your other computer to verify that you are properly communicating with it on the network.

 

If all the above steps didn't work, you have a problem with a) either or both of your NIC cards or most likely your crossover cable.

 

Anyways, try this out and repost your results and the members will try and get you going from there. Always work from simple to complicated when troubleshooting. Win2000 does a good job of networking. Its usually hardware that is at fault.

[RedMeister 0]

Thanks for the reply ---

 

Results of ipconfig...

For PC2

(the Athlon):

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :

--

Can ping 127.0.0.1 and 192.168.1.1 but not 192.168.1.2

 

 

For PC1

(The PII machine)

IP Address 192.168.1.2

Subnet 255.255.255.0

--

Can ping 127.0.0.1 and 192.168.1.2 but not 192.168.1.1

 

I'll try to get a loan of a hub and two ordinary cables during the week (the machines giving trouble are home PCs). Maybe I'll try the NICs in different slots - strange that their own diagnostics don't show any problems (and that the two NICs can communicate successfully - does this rule out a bad crossover cable?)

Thanks, Redmond.

 

[This message has been edited by RedMeister (edited 20 August 2000).]

[RedMeister 0]

Another point - should I install SP1 on both machines? This would mean a lengthy download (twice) as I'm stuck with a 56k modem. I did have SP1 on the Athlon machine but this got nuked when I did the clean install of win2k.

[MoreLight 0]

At this point I am leaning towards the crossover cable being at fault. Each of your NIC's appears to be ok.

 

Is the crossover home made or a retail one?

 

Probably doesn't matter anyways. Just to be cautious, make sure the NIC's aren't on a shared isa/pci slot. That can cause problems. Double check that they aren't sharing resources with other items as well.

 

Other than that, try to borrow an auto-sensing hub and some cat5 cables that are in good working order and see if that helps. I'll keep an eye on this post to see how you are doing.

 

It sounds like one end of the crossover cable hasn't been terminated properly. If you switch it around on your two computers, you should see the exact reverse of your problem if that is the case. Good luck.

 

I would hold off putting in SP1 until you have your network going first. Then you can share your drives and copy the file over instead of downloading it.

 

My first go at submitting this post didn't take, so apologies if my reply is duplicated.

[clutch 1]

If you can ping your loopback (127.0.0.1) and your static IP on each machine, then it sounds like your cable is bad. It would seem that you are getting an intermittent failure with it. There is one thing that you can try though, force your NICs to 10Mbps and make sure that you are using half-duplex. If this works, then bump up to 100MBbps. Now if that works, you can join the vast majority of other users that can't/don't have full duplex working. What normally happens is that if you have a hub, the card will easily detect what speed is max for the system in addition to determining if it can go full duplex. For some reason, your setup could possibly have both cards communicating, yet they can't agree on what settings to use.

 

------------------

Regards,

 

clutch

[RedMeister 0]

Hi,

I've set the NICs to 10Mbps and half-duplex - no help I'm afraid. I also switched over the XOver cable (2m, cat5) but one PC still only saw itself and the other itself and the other PC (but could not browse the other PC). I'll try to borrow a hub and cables in the next few days - I guess a parallel cable will have to do in the meantime...

Thanks, Redmond.

[clutch 1]

Try this, get rid of all your protocols and just use NetBEUI. It's a broadcast based language and shouldn't give any issues with browsing. One thing to note about browsing is that a network would normally have a "browse master" (senior-most machine on the network) taking requests for clients on name translation. Straight NetBEUI should bypass most of the protocol delay for you. In addition, you could have problems with the NIC/IP stack on the machine that cannot see its peer on the network. It sounds like you switched out the cable and still had no luck, so just go NetBEUI-only. Sounds like you have some time to kill until you get the hub anyway...

 

 

 

------------------

Regards,

 

clutch

[Down8 0]

I would suggest going TCP/IP only, but that's because it works fine for my house, which runs ~10 computers through a DSL router wiht only TCP/IP installed [mostly].

 

I have strange problems with networking though. I can see myself always, but people on the network showup and disappear randomly. I thought it was fixed the other day, but today I can only see myself and one other computer.

 

I was also wondering why you chose the IPs the way you did. I was told that, for a home network, it was best to have 10.10.10.xxx IPs with a subnet of 255.0.0.0 or 255.255.0.0 [this is usually set by Windows when entering the above IPs].

 

-bZj

[clutch 1]

Actually, using the 192.168.x.x set is what I recommend for normal home and small business use. It's a Class C license, and works fairly quick as far as resolution (less complicated with a smaller host ID). Not to mention, if you are going to use a 10.x.x.x set, you will want to go with a Class A subnet mask (255.0.0.0) and not vary the mask from that setting unless you are subnetting the network to reduce traffic. If you are having machines that appear then disappear on your network, make sure that they are all on the same mask if they are to be on the same subnet. In addition, if you have multiple machines battling for browse master, that will be a problem too. There are a few things that can be done to resolve this;

 

1. Establish a browse master for your network. MS operating systems vote for browse master by senior-most OS version (Win2K DC, AS, Server, Pro, then NT Servers and WS, then the 9x versions- this includes service packs too- SP4 is senior to SP3 and so on), then by time on the network (booted for 28 hours vs 2 hours). If you disable the master function of all the machines but one (usually a machine that will be on all the time, as you would be defeating the purpose otherwise), then you wouldn't have the machines voting for browse master and consequently losing the data that the voted-out machine would have collected.

 

2. Use the hosts/lmhosts file to resolve names against IPs on your network. If you use DNS ("dot-coms") in your machine names, then use the hosts file. In turn, if you use the traditional netbios names (john's pc, pc2, etc.) then just use the lmhosts file. It would be in the

c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\

directory. It will have all the directions that you should need. Use this only if you have statics IPs though.

 

3. Scrap network neighborhood and just type the UNC to the target machine. I usually don't even bother with network neighborhood as it can be a misleading as to the state of a given network (a machine can crash and the browse master will not be notified of the pc being gone, thereby letting it "show up" on browse list). You can go to the machine in question by typing \\computername in Explorer or the "run" prompt (Start>Run). You can then click on the shares of that given machine.

 

Sorry to be so long-winded, but it's good to have options...

 

 

 

------------------

Regards,

 

clutch

[RedMeister 0]

Hi,

I haven't been able to locate that hub I was hoping to borrow - I think somebody else "acquired" it. So I may have to buy a hub (10Mbit cheapo probably). I'll chop up a cat 5 patch cable tomorrow and try a homebrew crossover first. Maybe that'll work...

[dara146 0]

I had browser events 8032 and 8021 too and could not map drives or establise tcp sessions out but could ping. Did netstat -a and noticed 1000s of ports were been used. Used taskmanager to spot the process with a lot of handles, stoped it and all the ports were released and everything was ok. It was a rogue app that used up all the ports.