John, The problem lies in your encapsulation of your frames. IPX default encapsulation is sap (802.2) While your encapsulation for IP is defaulted to ARPA. I think the problem is that you need to bridge those two frame types to keep from having conflicting frames on the same lan. I could be wrong, but with you having a new lan card, and shared media, this could be a suggestion worth looking into. Look into the bridging area with your frames buddy. James -----Original Message----- From: John Neiberger [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, August 11, 2000 7:10 AM To: Stevan Pierce Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Ethernet Troubleshooting Woes I agree that this appears to be a cabling issue, but if that were the case why does our IP traffic not suffer at all? There are zero errors with our IP traffic, but this one single application that uses IPX doesn't function well over that cabling. So, does that necessarily mean that the problem is cabling? I'm not 100% sure. If we had bad cabling, I would expect to see frame errors regardless of frame type. I'm not sure about this, but wouldn't it be unusual only to see frame errors with 802.3 frames but not arpa frames? anyone know about that one? Thanks, John > John, > > You may have already answered your question by asking it to the group. > "Bring a PC back to the switch room and connect it to any port and the > program runs as advertised. So, I'm not going to waste my time with that. > I've also considered replacing the NIC in the server since we're seeing > errors coming from it, but that would not explain the problems we're having, > anyway, so that is probably pointless. any ideas?" > > What is the one thing that you are eliminating when you brind the PC to the > back room with the switch?? Yes, that's right-CABLING! I am going to > assume that you are using fresh cable for this and the cable happens to be > Cat5. > > As far as an expensive company to install this, do it yourself or find > someone. I used to work for a company that installs cabling in nearly any > part of the US. If you are interested, I can have someone from the > organization call you and quote a price to you. Install some new cabling, > Cat5, and spend about $20 a NIC and viola-you have 100 full to the desktop. > Users will love you; and, then you will able to spend more time studying or > cruising the Internet > > Let me know if I can be of any assistance. > > Stevan Pierce > > You > "John Neiberger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message > 12522145.965944221954.JavaMail.imail@tiptoe">news:12522145.965944221954.JavaMail.imail@tiptoe... > > Yes, the file server is in the same room as the switch and it's connected > at > > 100/full. All other hosts are in a different room connected via cat3 > > cabling and running at 10/half (no autonegotiation). We have checked the > > cabling distances are the longest cable was about 100 feet. > > > > I have been pinging the hosts and server from a router that is also > > connected to the switch at 10/half, and is also in the same room. > > > > The switch is a Baystack 303, but i think just for grins I'll run up there > > and replace it with a newer 310 to see what happens. > > > > I would LOVE to have a sniffer and/or RMON probe right now, but alas, we > > have neither. :-( I've got the software to analyze rmon information, but > > nothing to analyze! > > > > > Hmm, I can think of several things that may be going wrong, and > (perhaps > > > taken together) cause your problem. But first a few questions and > > > suggested experiments (some of which you may have tried already): > > > > > > - Is the file server in the same room as the switch? > > > - What are the endpoints of the IP traffic on the LAN? Clients and > > > router (on the way to a remote server)? Clients and local server? > > > - Where have you been pinging the hosts from? > > > - Do you have port error stats with an IPX client going straight into > > > the hub vs. at its appointed location? Packet captures under the same > > > conditions that may throw some light on the sluggishness? > > > > > > Now for some possible causes: > > > > > > - Bad or marginal cable or connectors > > > - Bad or marginal switch ports, cards, or backplane connectors > > > - EMI from unexpected sources such as the switch's own power supply > > > - Network diameter issues (you didn't specify 10/100/1000baseT) > > > > > > HTH. > > > > > > On Thu, 10 Aug 2000, John Neiberger wrote: > > > > > > > Okay, I'm going completely out of my mind. I am at the end of my > rope > > with > > > > this problem and I have no idea where to go from here. Basically, > I'm > > > > begging for suggestions! > > > > > > > > Several PCs at one of our branches are having difficulty running a > > certain > > > > application, which uses IPX on 802.3 frames. We are also running IP > on > > this > > > > LAN with arpa frames. There is a file server and printer on this > LAN, > > and > > > > all IPX traffic is between the hosts and that file server. > > > > > > > > We are have ZERO problems with IP traffic on this LAN. I've been > > pinging > > > > the tar out the hosts and they act perfectly normal, except for the > > file > > > > server which had, at worst, a 98% success rate over time. > > > > > > > > On our ethernet switch, we are seeing alignment errors and CRC errors > > coming > > > > from the file server. The cable has been replaced and we verified > that > > it > > > > is cat 5, but the problems still exist. This is a new file server > with > > a > > > > new NIC. > > > > > > > > Okay, the problem is that this particular application takes forever > to > > run > > > > from a desktop out in the building. yet, if you bring that very PC > > back to > > > > the room where the switch is, the application runs very quickly. > This > > led > > > > us to believe that the cabling was bad. However, if the cabling were > > bad, > > > > why are we having no problems with IP traffic? None at all! That > just > > > > doesn't make any sense to me. > > > > > > > > Granted, the cabling out to the desks is Cat 3 and this branch has > had > > some > > > > previous EMI problems in the room, but I just don't see how EMI could > > > > selectively cause one application to fail without there being some > > > > indication of problems with other applications. > > > > > > > > I've considered replacing the switch, but the problem only happens > when > > a PC > > > > out in the main room uses the application, no matter what port it is > > > > connected to. Bring a PC back to the switch room and connect it to > any > > port > > > > and the program runs as advertised. So, I'm not going to waste my > time > > with > > > > that. I've also considered replacing the NIC in the server since > we're > > > > seeing errors coming from it, but that would not explain the problems > > we're > > > > having, anyway, so that is probably pointless. > > > > > > > > any ideas? Our next step is to hire a very expensive data center > > design > > > > company to go up there and check things out. We've had electricians > > check > > > > the room and they said they could find no obvious sources of EMI, > even > > > > though we know that it is prevalent there. > > > > > > > > Help...please help....I'm dying here, and I'm quickly losing faith in > > my > > > > troubleshooting skills! > > > > > > > > TIA, > > > > John > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________________ > > > > Say Bye to Slow Internet! > > > > http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html > > > > > > > > ___________________________________ > > > > UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html > > > > FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com > > > > Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Bungee jumping and skydiving are for wimps. If you want to experience > > > true gut-wrenching terror, have children. --Dusty Rhoades. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________________ > > Say Bye to Slow Internet! > > http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html > > > > ___________________________________ > > UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html > > FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com > > Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > --- > > > ___________________________________ > UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html > FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com > Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________ Say Bye to Slow Internet! http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html ___________________________________ UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________ UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
