Windows Server 2003 for Dummies

What Do you Mean the Server's Unavailable!

When users can't find the server from their workstations, they get antsy. Check to see whether only one user or several users have the problem. If just one user can't find the server, the problem is probably at his or her workstation. If several users can't find the server, you probably have a segment problem, such as a downed bridge or router. (For more information on bridges and routers, see Chapter 4.)

If one user has the problem, ask the following questions:

• Is the user logged in? Don't laugh , but sometimes users call you about not getting services on a network and they haven't logged in yet.

• Has the user ever accessed the network before? If this is a new user logging in for the first time, the account may not be set up. However, if the user recently transferred from another department, you may need to reassign the user to another group or alter his or her account policies.

• Has the user tried to reboot the workstation? Sometimes, if the user reboots his or her workstation, the one-time glitch disappears.

• Does the user have the proper rights? Check the user's account policies and permissions to make sure he or she has the proper access rights on the network or directory to access the needed resource.

• Has anyone made changes to the workstation? If any new devices were added to this workstation, the new device may have a conflicting IRQ or memory address problem. Look at the root directory on the workstation and sort the files by date and time to see when the latest changes were made. Then, check the Windows directory and search for *.ini files to see whether changes have been made to any of those files. If a new NIC was added, verify whether it was set to the proper speed of the network.

• Can you PING the user's workstation? If Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is installed on the workstation, try PINGing the workstation from your desktop, try PINGing the server from the user's workstation, and try to find the server in the browser or directory listing. For more information on how to PING, see Chapter 14. If you can PING the server but can't see the server in the browser, you can force a browser election on the network to reset the master browser. For information about browser elections , search TechNet (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/).

• Does the user have a bad satin cable? Satin cable is the silver-colored cable sometimes used for the network connection between the user's NIC and the wall plate. Sometimes housekeeping vacuums over the cables on a network and damages them. You can easily change out a cable to see whether it's bad. If the cable isn't the problem, try the NIC. (Of course, if this is a wireless workstation, the cable won't be the culprit!)

• Does the user have a bad NIC? NICs go bad sometimes. Replace the card with a card that you know works to see whether that solves the problem.

You may also want to check the following:

• Logon time restrictions: If the user can log on to the network at specific times only, check the user's configuration to make sure no restrictions apply.

• Remote Access Service (RAS): If the unavailable server is a RAS server, you must grant users a dial-in privilege in their accounts to connect to it.

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): If the unavailable server is a DHCP server, make sure that the DHCP service is installed and running. (Choose Start Administrative Tools Computer Management, and then expand Services and Applications.) If users who depend on DHCP services can't see the DHCP server, they can't obtain an IP address.