CPQNF3.LAN . . . link is down. . . link is up . . . link is down. . .

[michigan]

Have a Compaq 1600 Proliant Server - installed Netware 5.1 and continue to receive the following:

CPQNF3.LAN Slot 1007 Network link is down. Check Cabling.

2 seconds later . . .

CPQNF3.LAN Network link has been restored.

This happens EVERY minute or so. From what I've read, it seems to be a bug somewhere with the 5.1 install. This never happened with 4.11 installed. I did check cable & switch port. Changed & re-arranged. Still happening.

I'm not sure where else to look. Novell had one TID (10050452) but didn't really help. Suggested I look at the device manager. Honestly, I don't even know where the heck the device manager is on a server.

AAAahhh . . . why does things like this HAVE TO HAPPEN on Fridays. If nothing else, PLEASE help me turn that beeping off. It's really NOT helping me nor the situation right now.

THANKS MUCH!

 

[Cassaro]

Michigan,

The following is the procedure to turn off the alert bell.

Go to "Server Parameters" from the monitor screen at the server. Then select "Miscellaneous" then switch "Sound Bell For Alerts" to "Off".

As for the connect and disconnect problem...I had a 4.11 server that had the same problem. What I found the problem to be was the software that let the dual network cards talk to each other was corrupt. I just had to reinstall the software and everything was fine. This may be what your seeing.

Chuck
tek-tips@aspenpkg.com

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[michigan]

Thanks for the reply Chuck -

However, after turning the setting to OFF. . . it still beeps. I thought, well maybe I have to down the server for the setting cahnge to work. Nope. Still beeps. I confirmed the setting was still set to OFF after the restart.

Thanks again.

 

[Cassaro]

Michigan,

Do you get a message on the counsel screen when the beep happens? It would probably be the disconnect\reconnect message.

Also, do you have dual NIC's in the server or is a single NIC system?
Chuck
tek-tips@aspenpkg.com

If you feel a post has been helpful to you, click on the link at the bottom of their post to let them and others know the information was of use.

 

[michigan]

Chuck -

It's now got 2 NICs. I recently purchased the 2nd NIC straight from Compaq - to ensure compatability. It appears to be the original one (of course the one that always worked fine before) that is generating the errors. My goal is to set up BorderManager on this server.

And yes, the beeps are sounding in sync with the console "Link is Up . . . Link is Down" errors.

I've recently discovered the 2 sounds you don't want to hear when troubleshooting: A user asking "Can I print yet?" when you've told them NO 14 times, and the constant beeping of a server. ((*please forgive the atitude - my frustrations are getting the best of me*))

 

[Cassaro]

Michigan,

Dont worry about the frustration...we all have them!

I'm suprised that the procedure I gave you didnt shut off the alarm beep. Normally I would say to double check the settings but I see you already did that. I guess my next step is probably what your already doing...yank out the old card and put the new one in and see what happens. If your still getting the errors I would then reinstall the NIC drivers and see if something went bad with the old one.
Chuck
tek-tips@aspenpkg.com

If you feel a post has been helpful to you, click on the link at the bottom of their post to let them and others know the information was of use.

 

[Guest_imported]

It is a Compaq problem . There were a bunch of bad mother boards from Compaq for the PII 1600 's . Call Compaq and tell them of the issue . Some folks know about it others do not .
This problem only occurs on switches . If you were to put the box on a 10 Mb hub , your cable disconnects would go away .

PGM

 

[trytosurvive]

I´m not sure, but i ran into a similar prob after installing a servicepack and rebooting. First i thought of a faulty nic somewhere in the lan, so i ran around and turned off every workstation and printer until i had only the server and the router running -> still link up and down. it turns out, that due to the update of the nic-driver, the SWITCH could not identify the nic of the server properly an so breaks the link in minute-steps. Can not explain this, for i thougt the nics were identified by their mac-address, but resetting the switch helped for me.
Tried that?

 

[michigan]

trytosurvive ~

No, but I tell you what. . . that'll be one of my first steps next time in my wonderful world of troubleshooting. Totally makes sense.

((sometimes it's those easy ones that kick me right in the face))

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

[asdeane]

Hello to all, here i am trawling the net for some support on NIC disconnects/connects and I fall into this forum. I have noted the above with interest as I seem to be having the same problem. Proliant 1600 2 NICs bound on IP address's working perfectly then suddenly beep,, beep dosconnects/connects. Have called Compaq and requested they replace NIC as this is my first area of suspicion. However to confound things, I noted that our 24port CISCO Catalyst resets when this happens. Now I ask myself is this vey expensive switch the cause of my problems!!!, engineers on there way. Are you guys using CISCO switches. Having discussed it with CISCO they have suggested that it is quite possible the switch is overloading with dirty cache and subsequently re-inits!

Let you know outcome

Tony Deane ( Technical Director, Cambridge, England )

 

[Guest_imported]

Go into the LAN/WAN stats in Monitor and look for
runts
collisions
errors

Do the same on the switch as well..if it is a store and forward, see what packets it might be dropping.

Also, Cisco makes nothing, they just acquire everything and put their name on it...that being said, some of our servers MUST be manually set to 100/full and some MUST be set to auto...strange, but it is for real. Of course you must have the very same settings on the switch port as wel... auto on server, auto on switch, etc.....

Is your CPQ hardware of the latest firmware?
Is the NIC card using the latest driver?
Are you using SP8A?

 

[sbarber]

We have a Compaq Proliant 1600 server and had this same problem a few months ago. Compaq replaced the motherboard & we still continued to have this problem. Also our switches were going in and out. We found the UPS that was connected to the server was causing all of the problems. You may want to try connecting your server to a new UPS.