DHCP Problem: Need Guidance!

[wisdomwarrior23]

Hey anyone who is familiar with this problem please respond; on our network which is a microsoft network, Windows NT Servers and workstations and windows 98 machines. The problem is that a large percentage of our client machines can't connect to the network because of some strange DHCP issue. The only thing that works is to release their DHCP lease and then renew it but all the time this doesn't work for the machines. I think our lease times to expire maybe a week or two but I'm not certain I can check with one of our network admins. Anyone who has some experience with this please give me some direction on how to attack this. Thanks all!

 

[CaRKiLLa]

What is the exact error you are getting on those workstations? Are you just getting the "Domain Controller can't be found" error and then you do the release/renew or are you seeing some DHCP error?

 

[NewbieGirl]

1. Check DHCP for avaliable address pool.
2. Reconcile your pool of IP address.
3. Check the Event View for DHCP error messages.
4. Sniff the switch for any broadcast loops.
Thanks,
Danielle

 

[pbxman]

Yeah - there's a lot to check..
Check to make sure the address pool is large enough, and no ranges are excluded. I'd also check to make sure the scope is activated. It almost sounds like it's not active, and clients are dropping as their leases expire, and can't renew..

Weird.

 

[wisdomwarrior23]

They're getting the domain can't be found message and are not able to get to the network, it's only happening on just a few machines not all off the clients in our domain have problems connecting to the network, but it is a recurring problem. Thanks you guys!

 

[Guest_imported]

I had similar problem and found the only way to fix the problem was to stop and restart the dhcp service - try it!

 

[pbxman]

Heh - you usin Gateway machines for those few clients??? I've had the same-thing happen with on-board NICS...regardless...check those machines ou more closely for user-intervention. On 98 - all users are admins...and thats not a good thing to have on a network. I'd bet my a$$ that there's stuff on those PC's that are not exactly "wholesome" to networks..Lock your network down, chief! Run an "UPDATED" virus scan on those PC's, and get back to us..