Troubleshooting Techniques

If you use lower grade cabling (CAT 3 or CAT 4), you may get a connection, but will soon experience data loss or slow performance

To install a Network printer you need to make sure that the correct network protocol is installed and configured before proceeding with NT printer configuration

We have Novell 5.0 (50 user and ARCnet based) and Novell 4.2 (5 user and Ethernet based, which act as a router between Ethernet and ARCnet). Novell 5.0 server takes care of all the production activities.

We don't have any tape back up system. We only use NCOPY to backup data files. We are worried about our NDS backup. In the manuals it says that during hardware upgradation one can take NDS backup. In our present scenario can you let us know how we can take NDS backup and then restore the system? In the manuals it says that NDS is locked after NDS backup is taken. What does this mean?

You can back up your NDS database for disaster recovery using DSREPAIR.NLM Otherwise, here's the scoop about how to do it straight from one of our premier NDS architects:

If you'd rather, you could also do this from the command line and skip all the menus. To do this, type the following at the command line:

dsrepair /rc

Either way, you have a backup of your NDS database when you're finished. With that said, there are a couple of things you need to keepin mind.

First, the NDS database will lock during this dump process, and any new authentication to this server will not work until the database has been re-opened. (This happens automatically when the process is finished.)

Second, there are lots of underlying issues that need to be considered when you use this method, but this type of backup gives a solid base to start from and makes the whole disaster recovery a lot less painful.

We have more than one Windows NT server on the same network and they have to be a part of the same Domain. There are three NT machines, one of which should always be PDC. How do we manage this?

The DHCP server actually allocates (leases) IP addresses to nodes for a fixed period of time. The lease must be renewed on a set schedule. If it's not renewed, DHCP repossesses the IP address for use on some other network node. You can control the length of the DHCP server's lease period using DHCP Manager.

As for the Access denied attempting to launch a DCOM Server. The server is: {E9F9ED00-7705-101B-9802-0000C07B665C} this is a nonfatal error warning that the DHCP service is already started but has not registered a class factory that a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) client requires.

To resolve this problem, install the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0

As for 3 NT servers on the same domain first, one has to be made a PDC at the time of installation of NT Server. Now, while installing NT server on the second machine, you can make it a BDC (for safety of the entire network).

Finally the third one can be installed as a standalone server. The two servers, after the PDC, can be stand-alone servers.

RAS with NetBEUI works over PPP but doesn't work with TCP/IP. Can I make my NT machine act as a router to the Internet over RAS?

RAS with TCP/IP over PPP does work. Just for information, PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) is a new Protocol for VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

Also, you can make your Windows NT machine act as a router to the Internet over RAS. Technical information about configuring router over RAS is available at

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/windows-nt/internet-faq/part2/

I have a NT Server with two NICs. When I configure for TCP/IP protocol and assign TCP/IP address to both the cards, I am unable to ping the Windows 95 workstation connected to this server or vice versa.

Besides, I also want to connect from the Windows 95 Workstation to the same NT Server using a dialup connection. The NT server is loaded with RAS service. What are the configurations I have to do for the same?

Check for the driver that you have installed, because sometimes the driver will not match the installed Ethernet cards. If the driver matches the Ethernet cards then check for the proper configuration of TCP/IP (also check for IP address and Subnet Mask).

If the problem persists, then there may be a problem with the card itself. For this you can contact your hardware vendor for a replacement.

For information on configuring your system from Windows 95 or NT Server visit http://www.kime.net/ directcc/directcc35.htm

We have a peer-to-peer network of 10 nodes with Windows 95 on which we have set up a proxy server using 'NetProxy'. We are unable to browse, chat or send e-mails more than five lines using any HTTP mail services.
We are using the IP number for proxy setting starting from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.11. In Internet Explorer browser settings we have specified the following as:
Name proxy server port
HTTP 192.168.0.1 80
Security 192.168.0.1 80
FTP 192.168.0.1 80
Socks 192.168.0.1 1080
Gopher 192.168.0.1 80
WAIS 192.168.0.1 80

If you are using the default configuration of NetProxy, then you should change the Web browser proxy settings to the following:

HTTP: 192.168.0.1 Port: 8080
Secure: 192.168.0.1 Port: 8080
FTP:
SOCKS: 192.168.0.1 Port: 1080
Gopher:
WAIS:

This will ensure that the SOCKS protocol is used for FTP, Gopher and WAIS transactions. See the section entitled "Configuring client software to use NetProxy" in the NetProxy help file for further information.

Also, ensure that you are running the latest released version of NetProxy i.e. v3.05

In my office we have installed the Novell 4.11 server on the network with a printer. We have a new PC with an Ethernet card. Please tell me the protocols to be set for connecting a Windows NT machine to the Novell server. Also, the configuration to be made on the Windows NT machine to use the printer connected to the Novell server.
You can use IPX/SPX protocol to connect your Windows NT machine to the existing Novell Server.

To install a printer, which is directly on the network, such as Hewlett Packard's Jet-Direct series, you need to make sure that the correct network protocol is installed and configured before proceeding with NT printer configuration. Please refer to your printer documentation to determine what network protocol you need.

The HP network-attached printers require the DLC protocol. To install DLC,

1. Click on Start button

2. Got to Settings - Control Panel

3. Double click on the Network icon.

4. Click the Protocols tab, then click on Add.

5. Select the DLC protocol and

click OK.

6. Type the path to your Windows NT Server CD-ROM and Click OK.

7. Close the wizard and restart your computer.

Please follow the steps given below to install a printer on Windows NT,

1. Click on Start - Settings - Printers to display the Printers folder.

2. Double click the Add Printer icon. You'll see the Add Printer dialog box.

3. If you are connecting to a printer shared on the network, select Network printer server, click Next.

4. In the Connect to Printer dialog box, type or select the shared printer to which you want to connect. If you already have a printer installed, click Yes or No, depending on whether you want this printer to be the default printer for your Windows-based applications. Click Next and Finish.

5. A new printer icon appears in the Printers folder. Double click on it to view and manage the printer.

I would like to configure seven nodes on WinProxy, with one server based on NT.Please help.

Before installing WinProxy on your Client/Server machines you need to configure the Client/Server systems with different IP addresses.

(E.g.192.123.0.1 - Server and 192.123.0.2 to 192.123.0.8 as clients)

Install WinProxy on Windows NT Server. Configure each client system as follows:

1. Select Internet option in Control Panel.

2. Select Connect tab and go to Proxy Server option and click the check box.

3. Click Advanced button and give the NT Server IP address for all the protocols (http, ftp). The default port for HTTP is 1080 and FTP is 21

Change the above settings for all your seven nodes to work on the WinProxy as proxy server.

Now that you've added TCP/IP to all your computers, let's run a test to determine if Network Neighborhood is up and running properly. If it is, you'll know that the hub and cables are connected properly. We'll use the Ping tool for our test. It's a simple tool included in Windows 95/98 and NT that allows you to check TCP/IP connectivity.

Select Start - Run, and type in the word ping. You'll see a list of commands and command syntax. If you're on, say, client machine 192.123.0.1, you can check your connectivity to the WinProxy machine by typing its IP address (192.123.0.3) after you type the word ping. If TCP/IP is properly set up on both machines you'll get several lines that say Reply from 192.123.0.1…

If you get no reply, something is wrong with the protocol installation of the IP address on one or both machines.

I am using an IBM think pad notebook, PII-300, with 64 MB RAM. There is an existing network with all machines on Windows 98 connected thro-ugh 10/100 hub. All the nodes have 100 mbps LAN cards and are connected on a LAN. My notebook has 10/100 mbps card the model no. 575BT 3Com card. I am unable to connect to my existing network. Can you help me?
The problem might be because of improper installation of the network adapter drivers on your machine. Please try re-installing the network adapters. To do so, please follow the steps given below:

1. Right click My Computer icon, select Properties.

2. From the Device Manager tab select the appropriate network adapter.

3. Click on Remove button.

4. Re-install the drivers.

5. Specify the IP address and Subnet mask for your notebook.

6. Try self-pinging (ping <local machine IP address>) from DOS prompt to confirm the network card configuration.

What is the color-coding for 10/100 MB Ethernet adapter using RJ 45 Connectors?

The color-coding for RJ 45 Connector is as follows:

Left to right: white + orange, white + blue, white + green, white + coffee color

This is a standard color code of AT&T.

We have Novell 5.0. I don't know how to take NDS and data backup. Can you help me?
Novell has a little known utility called DSMAINT.NLM that can be used to backup the NDS directory database, including all replicas and partitions on a server. The utility was designed to make hardware upgrades easier. With DSMAINT you create a flat file that includes all replicas. After you replace the hard drive you simply use DSMAINT to restore the file that it originally created, BACKUP.DS, to restore NDS to your system.

By running DSMAINT you create a backup of the NDS database called BACKUP.DS, located in the SYS:\SYSTEM directory. You can then backup or copy this file to another location. In the event of a SYS crash on your server you simply have to restore the BACKUP.DS file using DSMAINT and your entire NDS database will be safely restored. DSMAINT ships with the current directory services update from Novell.

Please visit the following links where you can download some software for the same: http://network-backup.com/index.asp

http://www.compaq.ca/English/productinfo/options/servers/backupsolutions/SeagateBUExecQS.htm

In what order of color code should I cross-crimp CAT 5 cable for a peer-to-peer network between two computers?
The 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet specification requires that you use CAT 5 UTP cabling to operate at 100Mbps. If you use lower grade cabling (CAT 3 or CAT 4), you may get a connection, but will soon experience data loss or slow performance. You're limited to 100 meters between any two devices.

For information on CAT-5 UTP color code and cross-crimping, visit:

http://www.delmar.edu/Courses/ITNW1325/cisco1labs.htm

NOTE : Often incorrect cabling leads to network configuration problems.

We have a network with a Novell server. Recently we added one more machine (with Windows 98, 32 MB RAM, 4.2 GB HDD) to the network (totally, eight nodes). If we boot the system from the LAN, we are not able to access the hard disk. Can you suggest a possible solution?
If you are unable to access a system in the network, perform the following steps:

1. Click My Computer.

2. Right click on the drive that you wish to access and select Properties.

3. Click the Sharing tab. Select the option Shared as.

4. Click OK.

You should now be able to access the drive you have selected from any other system in the LAN.

If your hard disk itself is not being recognized, then

perform the following steps:

1. Restart the system.

2. Press <DEL> key after the memory test has been

performed.

3. Select BIOS settings and press Enter.

4. Select the option Autodetect hard disk and press Enter. The hard disks present in the system should be detected.

5. Press <ESC>.

6. Select the option Save and Exit Setup and press <Enter>.

7. Press <Y> when asked for confirmation.

The Network Connection (Password) screen does not appear while I try to connect to the Internet on a Windows 98 PC. Hence, I am unable to access the network (Peer-to-peer on Windows 98). Others on the network are able to see me and share my files. I have tried reinstalling the LAN card, the protocols IPX/ SPX, NetBEUI. The client for Microsoft networks is installed too. Cabling can't be wrong because others are accessing me and for a day I was accessing the network. Please help.
There could be many reasons why you are not able to logon to the network. Please check if the network is configured properly.

1. Right click on Network Neighborhood icon.

2. Click Properties.

3. Click on the Configuration tab.

4. Highlight Client for Microsoft Networks, click on Properties.

5. Check Logon and restore network connections.

Please make sure that the necessary adapters, protocols are installed and configured properly.

Make sure file and print sharing options are enabled.

To do so:

1. Right click on Network Neighborhood icon.

2. Click on Properties - Configuration tab.

4. Click on File and Print Sharing button.

5. Check both the options on File and Print Sharing dialog box.

6. Clicking OK, will prompt you to restart the machine.