Multihomed 2000 Server problems 2

[JB2702]

We have multihomed our 2000 server due to the network interface being a bottleneck. With the new network interfaces/connections enabled some machines can not log on and get "there is no domain controller available to process your logon request" messages, others are fine.

There are also numerous netbios name conflict errors in the event log.

Any ideas?

 

[AjayM]

Disable WINS on one of the controllers will clear up the NetBios errors and probably the no DC error as well.

The problem I'm still having with multi-homed servers is accessing them from a trusted domain. Basically we have two domains here in the same forrest, one for our production/live stuff, and one for our regular internal LAN. But the multi-homed servers in one domain can't talk to the servers in the other domain.

Andrew

 

[jimw32]

I have had the same problems we are a single domain, we have 3 DC with dual nics. I found a Q article that basically stated that Microsoft knows it is a problem and they are working on it.

I have spoke with Microsoft Techs while they where helping me solve a DNS issue and their advice was to simply disable one of the nics. If you just unhook the cable you server will actually use the other nic and register the nic to DNS with APIVA number which causes even more problems. That is why it is important to disable the second nic.


The real problem is which service registers with which nic to DNS. If you disable the wrong nic you can knock out domain services for that DC. You really need to check and double check all your dns entries for that DC and make sure you don't disable the wrong nic.

Also if you have any third party software that uses a specific I.P address, IE... Arc Serve you want to make sure you can change the Nic setting in those peaces of software.

Hope this Helps....

 

[JB2702]

Cheers Andrew,

We have tried disabling WINS - it doesn't seem to make any difference though, and we need it for downlevel clients.
This is the only server in the domain, and is running SBS :-( with ISA and Exchange.

Most clients machines are 98, and it seems to be the 98 machines that do have the problems. With the other (multihomed) interfaces disconnected/disabled all seems fine, but as soon as one is enabled again we get NetBT error messages with duplicate names.

 

[JB2702]

Thanks too Jim. We are also in a single domain, but only have one DC. I seem to remember having a slightly similar issue once with an NT multihomed machine, but that was down to each interface trying to be a master browser, and was fairly quickly sorted out in the registry.
Obviously AD and DNS under 2000 make it more of a ballache to sort out, but this is causing us real problems now.
Could you let me know what the article number was so I can take a look?

Thanks mate,

James

 

[AjayM]

On Win2k on one of the interfaces you tried checking off the box "Disable NetBios over TCP/IP"? I had the exact same problem you are describing on these machines I have here, except that the one NIC was connected to a different subnet and didn't need WINS/NetBios. I tried the same thing with disabling one NIC and the problem would go away. I also got errors saying their was a duplicate name on the network.

I guess I'm also kind of confused about your setup, are the two NIC's on the same subnet with different IP's, or different subnet's? How many clients are you supporting that the NIC becomes a bottleneck?

Andrew

 

[JB2702]

I haven't tried disabling NetBIOS on the interfaces yet. I don't know why! All interfaces are on the same subnet with different IP's.

It's not so much the number of clients that is the bottleneck, but the sheer amount of traffic - the one 2000 server is running AD, ISA, Exchange, shares the internet connection, controls the phone system, and has also had the schema extended twice to run the voice mail and fax systems (also tied into Exchange)!

James

 

[AjayM]

Well disabling NetBios on one of the interfaces will probably solve the problem, but it's also going to whack off a good chunk of the work that you want the NIC to do, since it will no longer do any kind of "windows network" type stuff, it will strictly be doing TCP/IP stuff.

Have you looked into maybe one of the load balancing/fault tolerant NIC cards? I believe Intel makes a dual port NIC that can scale the ports together, not sure how it implements it, but it may be something to look at.

Andrew

 

[JB2702]

All 3 of the extra cards that have been fitted are 3Com cards that should do exactly that - doesn't seem to be helping though!

 

[bobbys9]

Would like to jump in on this thread, as I am trying to do a multi-home myself. My scenario: NT4 domain with a 2000 member server. The member server is running proxy (caching only), and is in its own subnet (10.30.0.0). I have installed a tape library on this server, and want to do backups from other servers on our primary subnet as well as a backup of this server. I set up one of the unused interfaces to be part of the 10.5.0.0 primary subnet. For an instant, I was able to browse this subnet, but it soon would report that the "workgroup" is not available.

Also, when I restarted after configuring the new interface, I received an error stating a duplicate name.

Have only 2 servers capable of driving this library, and the other one (in the primary 10.5) is really loaded.

Am I going about this in the right way? Do I need to change some settings or services? Any help would be greatly appreciated.