Comlicated Computer Browse Problem

[JillofAllTrades]

OK - complicated setup.

Corporate Office running AD network with 2 W2K DC's (DNS/WINS) and a couple of W2K and W2K3 member servers. One of the W2K member servers hosts Windows VPN. This is 10.0.0.x subnet.

Satellite Office has W2K DC (DNS/WINS) and connects via RAS through VPN. This is 10.0.2.x subnet.

Everything works great, except...

Periodically, users at the satellite office can only see the Coporate Office PC's and servers and not their own PC's when using My Network Places. At the corporate office, we can't see their devices, but we don't need to, so we don't care.

Telling them not to browse the network is not an option, as the software we develop uses this functionality.

I have tried:
*Restarting the computer browser service on their DC
*Disabling the computer browser service on all their PCs (so the DC will remain the browse master)
*Restarting WINS
*Forcing WINS replication

Any ideas???

Christine

 

[JillofAllTrades]

Oh, eventually, the PC's show up again, but I can't say it is because of anything I have done or just something refreshing.

Christine

 

[alicep]

I had a similar problem with our branch office that connected via a slow frame relay. The only microsoft support information I could find was about multihomed computers, but it didn't help me solve the dissappearing/reappearing problem in the network browsing. A workaround would be to add static entries in your branch office Wins server for those branch office computers (if there aren't too many). Or, use the lmhost file on the client workstations to create the static wins entries.

 

[Mimulla]

Hi,

Why don't you add static mapping for the servers in the Wins servers, also create a static mapping in the HOST and LMHOST files for the client PCs. I know this is a work around but I think the problem might be with network traffic being stop between your satellite office and corporate office. YOu need to monitor the traffic to see what traffic is being blocked and allowed through.

Also you can create shortcuts to the application using the IP address rather than browsing for the application e.g.

\\10.0.x.x\c$\program files\office\outlook.EXE.

Hope this helps.

 

[ReddLefty]

Check out:

Master Browser issues faq96-3728

Sounds like you have more than one master browswer.



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[JillofAllTrades]

Believe it or not, the PCs all show up in WINS if I check on the DC.

Also, they never disappear on the DC, just on the clients.

Shortcuts and drivemappings work, even using names rather than IP addresses (i.e., \\tkswdc\share). However, we need browsing capability for the software we make.

I can try hosts entries. Unfortunately, even though the satellite office is small, they are very dynamic, as they are testing software so they are constantly reimaging and renaming PCs.

Christine

 

[JillofAllTrades]

ReddLefty - I had already seen that FAQ, thanks.
I did disable all of the other PCs' computer browser services. If I browstat sta, it shows my DC is the master browser.

Christine

 

[ReddLefty]

The Browser server acts like WINS when it comes to gathering the information: It only does it for it's own subnet.

If you have 2 subnets, you will have 2 master browsers, one at each end, so you must repeat the procedure on both ends to make sure only 1 master browser exists on each subnet.

Out of curiosity, what is your subnet masks for the two subnets?





"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[ReddLefty]

Hmm. that didn't come out right, I meant the Browser SERVICE acts a bit like a WINS server for they type of information it gathers.. difference is it does not replicate.



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[JillofAllTrades]

I see what you were asking now...

We have a master browser and a backup on the corporate office subnet 10.0.0.x. The satellite office has just the one master browser since I disabled the service on all the PCs and their subnet is 10.0.1.x.

I didn't go through any additional browsing troubleshooting steps on the corporate office side, since there is no problem with browsing here.

Christine

 

[ReddLefty]

And your subnet MASKS? Maybe they are overlapping and that may cause confusion with your WINS, preventing them from replicating properly.

If your using 10.0.2.x and 10.0.1.x, then your mask must be 255.255.254.0 if you want the offices to communicate properly together.

If your using a mask of 255.0.0.0 on both subnets then you could encounter communications problems between both subnets.

Since I've always been so horrible at adding up subnets, I found this nifty web page that does if for me:

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/sparkman/netcalc.htm

"In space, nobody can hear you click..."

 

[JillofAllTrades]

I am using 255.255.255.0 for both.

Christine

 

[JillofAllTrades]

Correction - Corporate office is 10.0.0.x and satellite office is 10.0.2.x - both with 255.255.255.0.

(Another satellite uses 10.0.1.x and they are a completely separate domain, so now browsing there!)

Christine

 

[GlenJohnson]

When a machine disapears, can you go to a browser and type \\domainname\missingcomputer and see if it shows up?

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago
Johnson Computers

 

[JillofAllTrades]

Yes, you can access the machines by name if you type it in, just not by browsing.

And when the machines disappear, they all go, not just one.

Christine

 

[ReddLefty]

I hate to press this issue, but it REALLY REALLY sounds like Master Browser issues... Are you sure you don't have a Linux or Unix SAMBA server running? The older versions of SAMBA Server were master browsers by default.

If you don't have many machines, you can try disabling the Computer Browser service on all the machines to make sure your WINS servers get the resolving job.

Other than that, maybe WINS server replication issues, but WINS is usally pretty good, as long as your DHCP is well configured with the right WINS addresses.



"In space, nobody can hear you click..."