Error 642: WFWG 3.11 Client Connecting to LM 2.2 RAS Server (117229)

SYMPTOMS

When connecting to a LAN Manager server running Remote Access Service (RAS) you may get this error:

Error 642: One of your NetBIOS names is already registered on the remote network. Name: <xxxxxx>

where <xxxxxx> identifies the duplicate NetBIOS name; in this case the same as the Windows for Workgroups workgroup name.

CAUSE

This message can occur if MaintainServerList is set to "Yes" or "Auto" in the [Network] section of the SYSTEM.INI file.

You may find that this problem is intermittent and difficult to reproduce when you try to troubleshoot. This is because when a Windows for Workgroups machine tries to register itself on the network as a browsemaster it registers its own computer name first, then tries to register the workgroup name with the last byte of the NetBIOS name as 0x2D.

However, when logging onto an OS/2 RAS server, the RAS server registers NetBIOS names on behalf of the RAS client. The RAS server can succeed at registering the computer's NetBIOS name, but if there is already a Windows for Workgroups machine acting as the browsemaster on the same network as the RAS server, the attempt to register the client Windows for Workgroups machine as a browsemaster fails.

Currently, an OS/2 RAS server does not ignore the failure of the browsemaster registration and continue the client authentication. Tests on a Windows NT RAS server indicate that this has been fixed on Windows NT and even clients that fail to be registered as a browsemaster still are registered on the network.

If there is no Windows for Workgroups machine acting as browsemaster on the network, error 642 does not occur. That is why the error seems intermittent.

RESOLUTION

To correct this problem:

set MaintainServerList=No in the SYSTEM.INI file

-or-

make sure that there is no workstation acting as browsemaster on the net

Note however, that if MaintainServerList is set to No and there no workstation is acting as a browsemaster on the network, the RAS client machine cannot browse the network from File Manager or other applications.

If browsing is an important feature to you on the RAS client, then you have to make sure a workstation on the net always turned on and acting as the browsemaster. Also note that for performance reasons it is NOT recommended that the RAS client act as the browsemaster.