Microsoft KB Archive/174654

= Running GSNW without a Preferred Server Statement =

Article ID: 174654

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q174654



SUMMARY
You have a computer running Windows NT Server and Gateway Services for NetWare (GSNW). If no one has logged on to this server (the sign-on screen is showing on this server), the Preferred Server statement will be ignored. Instead, a primary server connection is established with the server that responds to GetNearestServer, and will remain so until the connection is lost. There is no way to specify a primary server.



MORE INFORMATION
A primary server is whichever server is currently answering to your Service Advertising Protocol (SAP) request. The preferred server and primary server may be the same server.

Whenever a Windows NT or NetWare client starts, the program issues the GetNearestServer request. Whichever server answers first becomes your primary server. All future SAP requests go to this Novell/File and Print Services for NetWare (FPNW) server unless a preferred server is specified. In this case, your preferred server becomes your primary server.

If a computer running Windows NT Server has a preferred server specified in the GSNW icon, when the computer starts, it will send out a Routing Internet Protocol (RIP) request for the external address of that preferred server.

If a preferred server is NOT specified, the server will send out a RIP request for the mapped drives of specified Novell servers that were created in the gateway enabled in GSNW. If the server that receives the RIP request does not know about the specified Novell server in its SAP table, the server will respond that it does not have that Novell server's information, and then the connection will fail.

If there are external routers on the network, verify they are configured to support GetNearestServer. If these routers ARE configured to support GetNearestServer, then the Novell servers should have GetNearestServer turned off. Otherwise, there will be a conflict between the routers' SAP table and the servers' SAP table that may cause the computer running Windows NT Server to attach to a Novell server that is not at the top of either the router or the server's SAP table.



WORKAROUND
When the computer running Windows NT server starts, GSNW connections are established before the Server service starts. Consequently, establishing a gateway to a Novell server can be an alternative way of establishing a primary server.



STATUS
This is by design and will not be changed.

Keywords: kbarttypeinf kbinfo KB174654

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