[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] YA Novell Problem

arensb@cvl.umd.edu (Andrew Arensburger) (08/23/90)

	Sorry if this isn't the correct newsgroup, but I couldn't find
comp.bugs.bloody.piece.of.trash. If there's a better place to post, please
tell me.

	We have several Novell servers, each of which has its own
network to serve a student PC lab. Furthermore, all of the servers
are linked between them. In an attempt to weed down the problem, we've
built a mini-network which has the same characteristics as the full
network:

	One server is an IBM PS/2 Model 80, running NetWare 2.4.1. Its
network is a set of 36 IBM PS/2 Model 70s, via IBM Baseband. This server
('Knott') also has an ARCnet card, which goes to an active hub connected
to three vanilla IBM PCs with boot PROMs. Another port on this active hub
goes to a second Novell Server ('Spruce'), a 286 which also runs NetWare.
When one of the vanilla PCs boots, the boot PROM finds a server at random
and tries to boot from it. We don't want them to boot from Knott, so we've
got a bootconf.sys file that logs them onto Spruce.

	The problem is as follows: if one of the vanilla PCs boots and
finds Knott before Spruce, it crashes the ARCnet network. The symptoms
are as follows: none of the PCs can find any server ('No servers could
be found' at boot time), and sometimes they don't even get that far, but
just hang.
	Usually, both servers think that they're running fine an dandy,
except for the fact that they can't see each other. If a server actually
crashes, it's always Spruce, and never Knott.

	Any ideas? We'd love to RTFM, but anyone familiar with Novell
FMs knows that this is useless.
	Please reply via e-mail to aa@loyvax.bitnet. If there is any
interest, I'll summarize.

-- 
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Andrew Arensburger            | K&R C!   |  People assign me so much   o\\\\\-
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