Newsgroups: bit.listserv.novell
Date:         Tue, 8 Sep 1992 09:13:39 GMT
Reply-To:     Novell LAN Interest Group <NOVELL@SUVM.BITNET>
From:         "(JD Ferreira)" <jferreir@DOS-LAN.CS.UP.AC.ZA>
Subject:      Re: HELP! Weird Netware PROBLEM!!!!!

In article <01GOE0QNAOEO0003Z1@HUSKY1.STMARYS.CA> you write:
>Date:         Fri, 4 Sep 1992 14:01:00 ADT
>From:         JGARDIN@HUSKY1.STMARYS.CA
>Subject: HELP! Weird Netware PROBLEM!!!!!
>The users on our network have been experiencing the following problem:
>
>For no reason at all they get bumped off the network with the following error;
>
>> Network error on server ADMIN: Connection no longer valid.
>> Abort/Retry?
>
>The error seems to be happening on various machines and just started recently.
>In the manual it says that it could be a cabling problem but our cabling guys
>checked and repaced all the wiring.
>
>One thing we did notice, We used some software to watch the packets being
>transmitted. When a packet is sent from a workstation the "Sniffer" program
>will display the appropriate ethernet number for it. When the ADMIN fileserver
>sends out a packet it is not identified by it's ethernet address, rather, a 12
>digit hex number is displayed. This does not occur if the workstation talks to
>another fileserver. (The other fileserver appears with it's correct ethernet
>address). The number is nowhere near what it's supposed to be.
>
>Another interesting note:  I brought down the fileserver in question and booted
>it up into DOS and loaded some network drivers. I proceeded to log on to
>another fileserver. When we monitored the packets from the workstatio (ADMIN
>Fileserver) to the other fileserver the correct ethernet number was displayed
>by the  "Sniffer" program. So the problem looks like it could be directly
>related to the ADMIN Fileserver.
>
>
>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
>
>John
>
>We are running Netware 2.15c with TTS

We had the same type of problem - We have a Netware 3.11 server and had two
network card installed, one a Ethernet card (NE2000 compatible) and the
other a Tecnetics card (non-standard Arcnet type topology). The Tecnetics
seemed to work fine but the problem with the Ethernet was that I always
attached to two fileservers. The one server (nearest to my workstation)
seemed to keep the connection MOST of the time but my other server dropped
the connection if I didn't keep on working.
I never solved this problem but had a few ideas:   Since we changed our
network to Ethernet only this hasn't occured since. (took out the Tecnetics
card and drivers)
My workstation was on the same segment as the main cable leading to the
other fileserver and I think this problem was solved if I had a seperate
card in the server which treated the pc's as a seperated segment as the
segment which linked the Novell servers (can't remember why or how?)

This type of problem also occured when we had our server with pc's near to
each other but some other pc's in another building - they connected to the
server via a repeater going to fiber to another repeater to coax to our
server (which is one logical segment) this worked fine but sometimes this
problem also occured - don't know why.

I don't know whether I just added more questions or if this could possibly
help.......but goodluck anyway.

David Ferreira.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU