Client connected, File Sharing configured, but can't "see" computer

[nokona13]

Sorry for the elementary question. I'm a trained programmer type being pressed into setting up a windows network using a windows 2000 server machine as the server with non-homogenous client computers that are already set up and running so I can't just start over and follow set-up instructions.

Right now I have only two client computers. One is working fine. The other is connected and named and all, but can't be "seen" with "\\NAME". Details:

1) Can ping \\NAME and the IP address that resolves to.

2) Can tracert \\NAME and IP

3) CANNOT net view \\NAME or net view IP

4) Probably obviously at this point, I cannot see the computer on IE or through computer management admin tools or anything like that.

Any ideas? Microsoft Networks File and Printer Sharing, or whatever the exact name is, is enabled and running on the client, and the client seems to think it's connected to the LAN at 100 Mbs, but it neither sends or receives any packets.

Sorry for the length, thought I'd get better answers with more info out there. Thanks for any help!!

 

[bonifale]

Has the offending box got the NetBEUI protocol installed?

If not check out.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=301041

Les....

 

[nokona13]

I don't think I want to use NetBEUI. The two clients I've added so far are both win2k, and I've read in a couple places that NetBEUI isn't great with win2k and I'll be adding WinXP computers later and I'm pretty sure I just want to use TCP/IP. Do you think NetBEUI is necessary here? Any other ideas?

Thanks!

 

[karmic]

ok, for the obvious...

what is the operating system of the client you cannot access? do you have any firewall software? If windows XP, is the built in firewall disabled? Are they all in the same workgroup or domain?

what about ip addressing? are they all in the same range? do you have a gateway address? using dhcp from the server?
Can you get on the internet from the system?

Some things to try:
disable the master browser on the client computers, they can fight for control of the network...
from the server run nbtstat -A IPADDRESS from a command prompt and see if you get any results. It should resolve the computer name, workgroup etc.


~ K.I.S.S - Don't make it any more complex than it has to be ~

 

[nokona13]

Server: Backoffice Server 2000
Client: Windows 2000

No firewall software, though the server is running ISA Server, though my research seems to point to ISA Server only acting as a "firewall" against some threats from the internet, and does not interfere with the LAN, though of course I could be wrong here.

There is only one domain set up, DOMAIN.com, and in the active directory, both the offending computer and the client that works correctly are both listed in that domain.

I tried ping COMP_NAME, and took the ip address that told me it was resolving to (and the ping worked, btw), and tried nbtstat -A IP with that IP and got a "Host not found" error. nbtstat would not resolve either nbtstat -A COMP_NAME or nbtstat -A \\COMP_NAME, and returned an error telling me the IP address needed to be formatted in the number-dot-number... format.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[karmic]

well, number one thing that I normally do walking into a situation like yours is to ditch the ISA server. It's usually the weakest link in a network. You may be running into a problem with isa.
Try logging in both machines with the same username. Use the login for the machine that works. There's a logon script for ISA that sets a firewall client and must be loaded.
I don't have a server with ISA in front of me so I won't be much help there.

Good luck



~ K.I.S.S - Don't make it any more complex than it has to be ~