NetWare Stopping Users From Exchange

[mrrrl]

I am using NetWare 5.0 as the logon and print server. I have NT 4.0 and Exchange for mail. From any client I can ping the Exchange server using it's IP address but not the "ping exchange", but only on some users not all. I have WINS enabled on an NT 4.0 PDS. Where do I control this in NetWare. I believe it is NetWare because I have another machine that doesn't go thur NetWare to logon and it works just fine using either ping 127.14.1.4 or ping exchange.

The problem being is that Outlook uses exchange not the IP address to logon.

 

[DrGreen26]

You don't control this in Netware. Your problem lies in how you have DNS defined on your workstations. You need to check the TCP/IP stack configuration on the Novell client and make sure that it either A) gets the DNS server info from the DHCP server, or B) that this is populated with the correct DNS IP Addresses. Your problem is a resolution issue not a Novell server issue.

Also, why do you have WINs enabled? Do you need to see every workstation on your network? WINs is by far the shittiest protocol that MS has ever created and it will only slow your network down. Get rid of it, turn it off. If your NT server is in its own domain, yee hah. I would get rid of Exchange and switch to Groupwise or Netscape Mail or NIM's (Novell Internet Messaging Server) running on Unix.

But if you have to keep exchange so be it. (Just make sure you have good virus / hacker protection).

HTH.


Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

CNE 4.11 and CNE 5 certified. BS Degree in MIS. Working in the industry for 8 years.

I work with NT servers, NDS for NT as well.

 

[mrrrl]

But, I can logon onto a machine with one user and it works fine. Logon to the same machine with another user and it doesn't work. Not reboot just logging off and logging back on. And it doesn't matter what machine I use, the same users can and the same users cannot.

 

[DrGreen26]

I would investigate your DNS box and DHCP box. The novell server could care less if the NT server is there. Unless you are running NDS for NT, which by your earlier posting, you are not. Novell will not see it.

This is what I would do.

One, go to said Novell server and perform a ping test from the Novell box to the NT box and Vice versa, use both the HOST name and IP Address. Does it answer? If yes, good. If you ping VIA hostname on the Novell box and it does not get an answer, its because DNS resolution needs to be setup. Next, go to said workstation, login under user account that works and ping using both the IP address and Ping again with host name to both the Novell Box and NT Box. I would also add this: Is there a router that sits between the workstations and servers??? YES - Ping the router port using both accounts.

If you see that with one account you can get to both Novell and NT and with the other account you can only get to novell and NT IP... Then this suggests a DNS problem or a profile issue on the local workstation (seen this happen too). What happens in DNS is this:

I ping a host name: I look to see if I have a table locally to resolve the host name?? If not, I send out a GNS request for a closest server to provide the name resolution. Do I get a response, if No, host name fails = no connection. If yes, I communicate to the device.

What operating system are you running on your workstations?? NT and NT 2000 are a breed to themselves, if the local profile has a problem, things can go funky. You can delete the profile, relogin to the system and that may also resolve it.

Also, when you login with the second account, do a tcp config on your workstation (I forget the actual command) and verify the DNS entries, make sure they are there.

Just remember, if you are resolving a host name, it must either reside in the hosts.txt table or on the dns server. If I can't get to one or the other, I won't be able to resolve it.

Also, just to prove a point, setup DNS servers (The IP Addresses) on the Novell box and ping the IP address then ping the hostname.. If you can resolve it from the novell server, then the problem is isolated to the workstation.

Finally, when all else fails, put a sniffer onto the same link as your workstation, capture the packets and pay attention to the DNS requests. From there, you should be able to see what is happening.

Also, Turn off all ununused protocols on your workstation..help to make troubleshooting easier.. If your using TCP/IP then load TCP/IP only. No IPX, no NetBui, don't auto sense protocols.. Bad thing to do..

HTH




Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

CNE 4.11 and CNE 5 certified. BS Degree in MIS. Working in the industry for 8 years.

I work with NT servers, NDS for NT as well.

 

[mrrrl]

Thanks for getting back with me. I am going to print out your last post and work on that tomorrow.

Here is what I have found out today. It only happens on Win 95/98 machines. Win NT/2000 works just great with any user logged on.

 

[mrrrl]

Here's another clue. When I 'ping exchange' the NIC card transmit light lights up almost constantly, almost like a broadcast storm and will only stop once I close the command prompt window. Again this happen on all Win95/98 machines and only some users. When I 'ping 172.16.1.X' it works just fine for all users.

 

[DrGreen26]

Yea, this sounds like a problem with your workstations resolving the DNS server. I fyou have a lan analyzer or a packet sniffer, you can attach this and capture some packets from a workstation where there are known problems and review the packets to see if anything out of the oridinary jumps out at you. I am sure you will find that it will.


Mark

Mark C. Greenwood, CNE

CNE 4.11 and CNE 5 certified. BS Degree in MIS. Working in the industry for 8 years.

I work with NT servers, NDS for NT as well.

 

[mrrrl]

Here is the answer. It was not a problem with the workstations. The problem was with the exchange server. I can't explain it but, on the Network Properties, TCP/IP component properties, under DNS Configuration Tab, the Domain was not filled in, only the Host and DNS Servers (both outside the LAN) were filled in. Once I filled in the Domain every thing works fine. I do not know how the Domain field became empty, but it did. I can't explain how this would effect only Win95/98 computers and only some of the users. I can see how it would effect the exchange server, but not any other client/person on the LAN its self.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. This was the worst problem I have seen in many years.

 

[DrGreen26]

Kind of funny how these small things just creep up on us. Keep up the work..and now that you have got the exchange server up and running, don't foget to take a look at turning off WINs... save you the headache of bandwidth consumption if its not needed.

Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

CNE 4.11 and CNE 5 certified. BS Degree in MIS. Working in the industry for 8 years.

I work with NT servers, NDS for NT as well.