Server unable to "net send" any machine

[humbletech99]

I have a server that is not able to "net send" any machine. It is running Windows 2003 server and has the messenger service disabled so that it does not receive any incoming "net send" messages. However there is another server that also has the messenger service disabled and can net send out.

Reason I need this: Users run processes on the servers and have these commands at the end of their batch files to let them know when their process has finished.

I have checked all the services manually and the working server does not have any service the broken one does not have. There were a couple of things in netdiag however that I do not quite understand

        NetBT name test. . . . . . : Passed
        [WARNING] At least one of the <00> 'WorkStation Service', <03> 'Messenger Service', <20> 'WINS' names is missing.

NetBT transports test. . . . . . . : Passed
    List of NetBt transports currently configured:
        NetBT_Tcpip_{3CACDC42-9112-412B-A05D-C647833F7952}
    1 NetBt transport currently configured.

NetBT name test. . . . . . . . . . : Passed
    [WARNING] You don't have a single interface with the <00> 'WorkStation Service', <03> 'Messenger Service', <20> 'WINS' names defined.

DNS test . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Passed
          [WARNING] Cannot find a primary authoritative DNS server for the name
            'servername.domain.com.'. [RCODE_SERVER_FAILURE]
            The name 'servername.domain.com.' may not be registered in DNS.

I suspect I have these NBT warning because the messenger service is disabled, they were not on the working server when I ran netdiag on it but it also has the service disabled. Both servers rebooted on Wednesday at the same time.

I have run nbtstat against both servers and can see the missing name is the 03 messenger service name on the non-working server.

The dns error is a bit perplexing too since I have manually queried every dns server in the list that the non-working server uses. Queries for the servername.domain.com as well as just servername, both forward and reverse, came back successful every single time I queried any of the dns servers, so I don't know what this is really complaining about.

The working server has not had any of these messages in it's netdiag which passed everything.
I have even gone through the network settings, making sure netbios over tcp is enabled and that the dns and wins server settings are identical.

I've done ipconfig/flushdns and nbtstat -RR and nbtstat -R but still no joy.

Can anyone please give me some ideas on things to do here, I'm running out...?

 

[itsp1965]

Are u sure that the Messenger and/or Workstation services are running?
Have you disabled Client for MS Networks/File+Print Sharing as a protocol on any of these servers?
Have you disabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP

All of the above can lead to this behaviour

 

[humbletech99]

Messenger is disabled.
Workstation is enabled.

Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Print Sharing are enabled.

NetBios over TCP/IP is enabled.

This is the case on both servers, the one that works and the one that doesn't.

 

[tfg13]

Have you by chance looked at the alerter service on both the non-working server and the working server?

 

[humbletech99]

yes it's disabled on both.

 

[tfg13]

Have you tried to manually do a net send? If it works, then you know it's the batch's problem. If it doesn't, then it should tell you why, via error message, the net send doesn't work.

 

[humbletech99]

yes of course I tried manually. I got the error regarding the name could not be found on the network. Tried serveral names I know work and then tested them again from the other working server to confirm they work.

It seems not having a 03 netbios registered name stopped net send from working...

After enabling and then disabling messenger again, it had created that record and now even with messenger off the server can net send again...

 

[itsp1965]

You have indicated that the network name could not be found on the network. By chance is there an alias record setup for the host

 

[humbletech99]

no. using the standard names.