Hi

 

This is a brand new server ML350 G5 with SBS 2003 R2.

2 NICs (2nd NIC was added after SBS installation)

 

I am having weird networking issues

   From the server: I can resolve names, ping & browse internet

   From a Vista PC connected to LAN NIC: It gets an IP from the server DHCP server. However, it cannot resolve server name, cannot ping server or internet or browse internet

The Vista PC works well when connected directly to the router, so it is not the PC that is the problem. A 2nd PC hasthe same problems.

 

I installed the latest version of TrendMicro Worry Free Adv on the server. It added a number of (hidden) network adapters in device manager.

The SBS2003 Best Practices Analyzer claims there are 3 NICs on this server, when I disable the TrendMicro NICs, the error goes away.

 

 Attached is TCPIP configuration of server & PC.

This might be a dumb question....

 

did you check the primary DNS on the workstation has the IP of the server? If it doesn't adjust the DHCP to send down the DNS correctly. I usually put the secondary DNS in the DHCP for the ISP so internet isn't depending on the server.

 

Also make sure in the DNS the forwarders are configured.

 

Start > Administrative Tools > DNS

 

Right click the server and goto the forwarders tab and make sure the ISP DNS servers are in there (at least 2).

Hi Matt,

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

Yes, DNS is configured propertly on the server & PC. Forwarders are OK as well.

 

I have re-run the EICW a dozen times as well.

 

Any other idea?

Have you tried a Win XP workstation to see if it works?

 

This way you would know if its Vista OS or not. The firewall in Vista can be interesting (same with server 08).

Hi Matt

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Yes I did try. DId not make any difference.

 

The solution was to delete old entries of non existing NICs from the registry. The work was a bit tedious.

1. I moved the NIC onto another PCI-X slot. Did not resolve the issue. However now SBS was winging about a card that was not there any more and that had the same IP address as the newly discovered card

2. I decided to uninstall Worry Free Business Security as I was not sure if it was the culprit (as it had added a number of hidden NICs). Did not resolve the issue.

3. I scanned the registry for the old NIC name. It gave me some {number_ID}. I then searched the registry for the string of characters and deleted it from all the places I thought it was safe to do so.

4. Reboot

5. Et voila! Problem solved.

 

Cheers

Hi Alexandre,

 

If you would have set NetBIOS over TCP/IP to enabled on the internal nic, you wouldn't have had the problem in the first place.

Hi Marina,

You are right! I did not see that... I wasted so much time on that issue.
Stupid question: why couldn't I ping the server from the PC or ping the PC from the server though???

I guess it must have happened when I added the 2nd NIC and had to mess around to get the 2nd NIC to become the LAN and the original 1st NIC to be the WAN...

By default when I added the 2nd NIC, it became the WAN which I did not want. Then I tried to swap them around which was not easy. I must have left some settings from when the NIC was the WAN. I am surprised this setting did not get updated when I ran the EICW???

I just asked that question yesterday in another post: Is there a procedure on your site to go from one NIC to 2 NICs???

Cheers