Mapped Drives Disconnect on Random Machines in Network

[networksplus]

I'm chasing a ghost.. please help.

We are running W2000 Server as PDC w/ Exchange 2000 standard version, we also have a Novell 4.11 Server running ipx/spx (only) (Provides printer services to hp Jetdirects.)

DHCP comes from the W200 Server, and provides clients with their info for the DSL Gatreway Router.

Data is stored on the W2000 server for all employees documents.

Our accounting software (pclaw) is residing on the W2000 Server and it's network requirements state the ipx/spx should be primary protocol.

Other Software issues,
MS Office 2000
Norton 7.5 Antivirus Network On Novell and W2000 Server
Network CD Library (from Novell Server)Premise
HPScanjet (rarely Used) to one Novell Workstation.


Network Architecture is Netgear Hubs and Switches.


THE PROBLEM

Intermittent users will lose their mapped drives on the W2000 Server. They don't disconnect, they just become inaccessible. Logging off doesn't repair the problem. We have to do a complete cold boot of the workstation. (P3-866 on MSI 6309 Via chipset w/ Intel 10/100 Pro Adapters.)
The affected user can still see the Novell server and it's mapped resources, the user can print. It appears we are losing the authorative connection to the W2000 Server. But Exchange still Works. It's not the same stations. It moves about on the network.


Please Has anyone heard of this (dropping of the right to used a mapped resource on W2000 Server)

John Pease
tech@ntwrk.net

 

[limberwulf]

I have a similar problem. W2000 and Exchange 2000 server, internet is also routed through this server. random computers can no longer access shared resources on the main server, though exchange, internet, and even other network resources NOT on the server are still accessible.

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

 

[mazterg215]

We had this problem after upgrading our servers to Windows 2000. We tried the autodisconnect fix and it did not work. It turned out to be only our Windows 98 clients that were having the problem. There is a patch for Windows 98 that corrects the problem. All clients now work great.

 

[networksplus]

I'm the original writer of this message.. since october 2001 when we wrote the message, in our case we found there was three things we did,,

1st we were logging into the novell server using windows clients.. we changed that to Novell's client. and logged into our novell server first..

second we upgraded our exchange 2000 to sp2..

and lastly we liveupdated all win98 clients to include all security patches...

we also update our Norten to v 7.51. updated IE 5.5 to 6 on all clients...

I never figured out which one was the problem.. so lets find out what we did that's consistent to your systems..

John


so far the problem hasn't reared in literally a year..

Does everyone here with the problem have the same eratic symptons..?

 

[mazterg215]

Sorry, here is where we found the patch.

http://members.tripod.com/erpman1/w98meupd.html