CNE - An IPX/SPX and a TCP/IP walked into a bar, and put a minature piano on the table

Author

An IPX/SPX and a TCP/IP walked into a bar, and put a minature piano on the table

cybatek

2001-07-11, 6:15 pm

You may have heard that one before, but have you heard this one.

Have a simple (enough) NetWare network with around 40 PCs, a 4.11(ipx / tcp) and 5.1 server (tcp / ipx). IPX/SPX communication dies from various workstations when you copy any volume of data from Server to WKS. If they do that operation using pure IP - they're good to go.

Have isolated any chance of it being Switch / NIC / Location / Client. Found a TID (2906062) showing power management on the Server Motherboard can be responsible for this - but not in this case.

There is no real common thread - except it is IPX/SPX that suffers.

Any ideas? I cannot go pure IP (I have my reasons)

ccieToBe

2001-07-11, 6:48 pm

That's really strange. I know almost nothing about non-IP protocols, so I can't help you out much here. All I can say is look for a comonality between the affected workstations like the version of IPX or network cards that they're running.

cybatek

2001-07-11, 7:15 pm

Well let me give you this tip CC2B, If you carefully rearrange the letters of IPX/SPX you can get it to spell IT/SUX

dheinsdorf

2001-07-11, 9:21 pm

quote:
Originally posted by cybatek
Well let me give you this tip CC2B, If you carefully rearrange the letters of IPX/SPX you can get it to spell IT/SUX

Where'd the "T" come from?

Load IPXCON and scope out all the goodies, also load TCPCON and do the same, look for obvious problems. Setup a client ipx only and do a file xfer, scope IPXCON for errors.

Load IPXPING and try the obvious, client to server, whatever is in the static routing table if exist. Is RIPI enabled on any interfaces? Should be running RIPII with RIP disabled on IP for multihomed interfaces.

What service packs are running on the 4.11 box? If not latest then ignore everything and patch it. When the 5.1 box was introduced into the tree, was the wizard run from the client to make everything fat dumb and happy?

Was IPX bound at the 5.1 box during install?

Was IP and IPX selected on the clients? Or are there some rogues running CMD from a misconfiguration?

Are you running Zen3? If not 95/98 should be at 3.21SP5 and NT at 4.8e (plus remote control tweaks).

What does DSRepair say about the local databases? And how does timesync look - console errors?

Put a promiscious mode sniffer on the segment, any chatty top talkers? Goto Ethereal.org, good freebie windows port or I can send you a 5 station lanalyzer that you can set to alarm for top talkers per protocol.

Whats the other state of client affairs, clean systems stripped of microsoft crap with frame types defined for IP and IPX, or a bunch of win95a Winsock1.x virulent workstations.

I am sorry to bring up clients when you spec'd that it was not an issue, but I did anyways, on that note, what brand of switches are in use? There is a common thread and in no case any reason to abandon IPX. IP and IPX fly together.

I suspect the 4.11 box is light on the service packs. Hows the resources on it? Ram alright, basic server health gone south recently?

Is there any coax around? You binding 802.3?
Someone streaming audio recently? You start pegging the NIC and odd things happen.

Anyone fiddle with routing in any way recently, like someone on an inetcfg learning curve?

Gimme some more man. I got your 6.

Doug

dheinsdorf

2001-07-11, 9:40 pm

quote:
Originally posted by dheinsdorf

Put a promiscious mode sniffer on the segment, any chatty top talkers? Goto Ethereal.org, good freebie windows port or I can send you a 5 station lanalyzer that you can set to alarm for top talkers per protocol.

Doug

Correction its ethereal.com, heres the windows port:

http://www.ethereal.com/distribution/win32/

Its good stuff if you dont have any industrial strength software.

Another good one for way cheap is Tamos CommView:

http://www.tamos.com/products/commview/

Like $79-$119 and it works very nicely.

cybatek

2001-07-12, 5:51 am

I love it when you get promiscuous with me Doug.

I'll see your Lanalyzer and raise you a Crowe.

Thanks mate, I'll tell you how it goes.

dheinsdorf

2001-07-12, 9:36 am

quote:
Originally posted by cybatek
I love it when you get promiscuous with me Doug.

I'll see your Lanalyzer and raise you a Crowe.

Thanks mate, I'll tell you how it goes.

Yes, get tough on it. Think like Maximus Decimus Meridius! Take a big steel rod and give the server a good smack!

We used to (and somewhat still do) have a bunch (30+) 4.11 servers - really crappy generic parts, lots of coax. It was total chaos for years. So I been there many many times. See now we buy Dells. If we had all good stuff then, I wouldnt know bupkus today.
Pain is good. Abends are good. Broken mirror sets are good. Skipping breakfast is bad. I am hungry!

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