Error: Your Microsoft Exchange server is unavailable

[1RobDog1]

The email client is outlook97.  We get this message on about 2 to 3 of our computers in our network of about 500 + PCs.  Two of which our at an offsite location behind a routor.  This error gets resolved by changing the frame type to 802.3 instead of auto on win95 machine.  But they can only send three lines of text and it is dog slow.  If we change it to 802.2 then TPS works otherwise it does not on 802.3.  We are a novell 4.x shop.  By default the frame type is 802.2 for novell 4.x.  This is where we want to be.  We changed the exchange server from 802.2 to 802.3 and 802.2.  Once we did it worked until we rebooted it over the weekend.  The only reason we are looking at frame types is because we get results when we change them.  Are we heading in the right direction on this can somoeone help whom has seen this or has suggestions.  Reply back if you need more info.  TIA...

 

[ddemmy]

Are you using tcp/ip by any chance? I recently had a similar issue on a win95 computer. The computer could see the network just fine, but it could not locate the exchange server at all. There was a webramp that was allocating tcp/ip addresses through dhcp. There was a problem with the win95 computer communicating with the dhcp of the webramp. I finally statically assigned an address to the tcp/ip settings on that computer and the problem went away. You say you are using routers. I would check to be sure the configuration is correct on all dhcp devices you may be running, whether it be coming from the server or from the routers. If you are assigning addresses using dhcp, be sure that all dhcp devices are using the same network addressing number scheme--and are NOT assigning duplicates.

Assigning addresses at the client side may not be feasible on a network of your size--I was dealing with a 6 to 8 pc network.

Regarding frame types, I have experienced problems with older computers not recognizing newer network cards in windows 95. Changing the frame type from "auto" to 802.3 or 802.2 would fix the problem. In my case the cards just flat out would not work.

Even if you are not using tcp/ip, I would suggest checking the procols and configuration of the computers in question and the routers at the remote locations. It sounds like it is a client side problem if all of the other computers are fine.