Can't connect to student server 2

[ccdriver]

Our school is on a domain. We have separate file servers for students and teachers. In many of our labs, [which run Windows XP Pro] some of the computers cannot access the student file server. It's not because the user doesn't have permission either. The same user CAN access it from a different computer.

If I log on to that computer, even as an admin., I cannot connect to the student server BUT I CAN connect to any other server on the domain!

A computer that could not connect yesterday, CAN today but most of the others still cannot.

It started last week when a power outage "fried" some hard drives on the server. [The UPS malfunctioned] They've been replaced and files were restored from tape. (not by me so I don't have details) However, since then, this problem has occured and no one has been able to solve this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Charlie

 

[Jpoandl]

My response ins't going to be too specific but maybe it will point your in the right direction. There could be a few problems happening...

Do you have more then one domain controller? Do you have more then one DNS/DHCP/WINS server? Was it the domain controller that failed?

Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 is very fault tolerant but the administrator has to make sure that his environment is fault tolerant. He/She would do this by making sure that there are redundant domain controllers, for example. However, this wouldn't be enough, the admin would have to make sure that there are multiple DNS servers, global catalog servers, WINs servers, DHCP servers, etc.

I would guess that for a period of time, one of your domain controllers went down. You might want to check the event viewer of the problematic machines to get more information about what the problem is. The Event log is a key tool to use to trouble shoot issues.

I would also reboot the problematic workstations now that the server has been repaired.

-later

Joseph L. Poandl
MCSE 2003

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[itfellow]

ccdriver,

When you say you can't connect, what kind of error do you see? Is it a permissions thing or a connection timeout? Can you ping the server from the workstation in question? Can you see the server from the problem workstation through "my network places" ?

If the file server is also a domain controller, especially if it is the only domain controller for that domain, your restore may be from a time when the problem workstation had not yet been joined to the domain. Also, if any settings on the file server had been changed since the backup, such as the network name or ip address, the workstations' host files or the DNS they are using may need to be changed (or the file server's settings changed again). Just some suggestions.

 

[ccdriver]

I didn't try pinging the server but I can see it when I got to "Entire Network" (and navigate to it). I'm home, the next time I see the message, I'll copy it. Basically, it says it's not available or you don't have permission to use it.

I'll check on the rest of this at work also.
Thanks,
Charlie

 

[GlenJohnson]

Also, when you can't connect, run ipconfig /all on the machine that cannot connect and see what you've got. Is you're ip address valid? Also check for errors on the client machines. Good luck.

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[itfellow]

If the error message is that the share is not available or you don't have permission, then it sounds like an authentication problem. When workstations are Windows XP and the domain is Windows 2000 (which is what I have here) the domain controller needs to be listed in the network config of the workstation as the primary DNS server (probably the same with the file server, if the file server is not also the DC). Double check that first. I have seen it where, when the DC is not the primary DNS, you can get intermittent problems like this.

 

[ascotta]

Grannies and eggs. Just had a quick read through. Have the shares been recreated ?

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Cheers
Scott

 

[ccdriver]

The Tech guys hired an expert and here's what he did.

First he ran IPCONFIG/flushdns and then IPCONFIG/registerdns.

That "seemed" to work for one workstation but on another one, he went into the Advanced TCP/IP settings and checked:
"Use this connection's DNS suffix in DNS registration". The other item "Register this connection's addresses i DNS" was already checked.

It appears to have worked. It was done at the end of the school day after the students had left. The real test will be on Monday with the students.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I passed on all the info. I got here.
Charlie