dhcp client - semaphore timeout

[Beboen]

Hello, I have the following event:

Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address ********. The following error occurred:
The semaphore timeout period has expired. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

I have the following configuration: ISA on the edge and internally (all on the same subnet) W2K3 DC/DHCP/DNS/WINS, W2K3+E2K3, some clients (WinXP, W2K, Win9x). Clients are on the same switch (layer 2) or on a hub.

Clients receive an IP address from the DHCP, however if they want to renew it (at 50%, 75%) of the lease time (which is 2 days) they don't receive another IP address. If I do the trick manually by ipconfig /renew the client complains also about semaphore timeout/it can't find a dhcp server.

However, if I do ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew clients have no problem to get an IP address.

Does anyone have an idea this happens? I have installed W2K3 DHCP before without a problem on other sites. I thought it might be a hardware problem but it's an unmanaged switch (3com).

Thanks for any help,
Beboen

 

[Marcs41]

This is the way in which NT/2000/XP report that they were unable to renew a DHCP lease.

DHCP difficulties might be due to an over-tightly configured firewall, so try again with the firewall disabled. If that cures the problem, then you know for sure that you need to reconfigure the firewall for DHCP

Check out these links too:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q325487

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;325122

Marc
_{If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
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[Beboen]

Thanks but no sigar. ISA is on the edge, DHCP and clients are all internally and on the same subnet.

 

[Marcs41]

Ok, but did you check the links too, there is more to it than the firewall.

 

[xmsre]

Spanning tree, port agregation, and trunking come to mind. If definitely seen the spanning tree problem described here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;168455