Disconnect from exchange server

[dwichmann]

i am using SBS 2003 as a server and xp pro on all client pc's. all pc's are running outlook 2003. a problem we are experiencing is that at points in the day, outlook will put itself offline. when attempt to reconnect we are prompted for a username and password. when outlook is restarted you can reconnect with no problems. has any one any ideas?????

 

[markdmac]

Check your switches. This indicates a network connectivity issue.

You should also verify that the NIC on your workstations and the server are NOT configured to allow the system to shut down the NIC. You will find this under the Power Settings of the NIC properties on most systems.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[dwichmann]

i would have thought if this was the issue that the whole pc would lose access to the network. it doesnt and outlook is fine once restarted. that is the application and not the pc. at the same time i can access home directories and all shared areas of the pc

 

[markdmac]

Actually most intermittent network connectivity issues are not evident. For example when you visit a mapped drive. You enumerate the list of files and are done with it. The connection can drop and re-establish itselft in the background without your knowing. When you double click a file the connection is re-established and the file opens.

With Outlook it continually stays in contact with the server, so the problems are more evident.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[jifitz]

Can you access the \\ServerName\SYSVOL at the same time you cannont access outlook? What kind of NIC card is on your server? Are you using any kind of NIC software? Also if you are in a small enough enviroment set the clients TCP/IP DNS to point to your SBS server. What are the errors on your workstation's event logs?

 

[Danny28]

Be sure you are checking the power settings on the NIC card itself. Besides the general power settings found in the control panel, many devices have their own power management settings in the device manager.
I almost always set the network cards to always remain powered (RUN devmgmt.msc, expand network adapters, right click the appropriate adapter, left click properties, find the power management setting, uncheck the box showing "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

 

[ShackDaddy]

Are your systems set to hibernate at all? If a system goes into hibernation and is then woken up, the Outlook status will be off-line, and when a reconnect is made, you will get prompted for credentials.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting