Btrieve Clients May Fail to Connect to Servers Running RAS, IPX/ (150567)

SYMPTOMS

When Remote Access Service (RAS) is installed on a Windows NT Server running NWLink (IPX/SPX) protocol, client/server applications that depend on SAP and RIP protocols may not be able to connect to their servers.

Btrieve is one such application. Btrieve clients may appear to hang when they are unable to access the Btrieve database engine running on the NT server.

CAUSE

When RAS is installed on the NT Server, also installed is an IPX router. This router considers zero to be an invalid network number. If, under the configuration option for NWLink, autodetect is chosen for frame type and no routers or a Novell server is present on the local network, then zero may be chosen as the network number. If IPX/SPX protocol frame types are configured manually, then the network numbers associated with these frame types default to zero.

You can find out the network numbers associated with a given frame type by executing the IPXROUTE CONFIG command at a command prompt.

WORKAROUND

To solve this problem, enter a valid network number for each frame type specified in the registry on the Windows NT Server. (A valid network number is an eight-digit hexadecimal number whose value is greater than zero; for example, AABBCCDD.)

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

Open the Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Go to the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentcontrolSet\Services \NWLnkIPX\Netconfig\<adapter name>
Look for the value entries for the NetworkNumber and PktType parameters.
Each value in the PktType parameter specifies a frame type, and and each frame type must have a corresponding value entry in the NetworkNumber parameter. For details on these settings, see:

"Services for NetWare Networks: Microsoft Windows NT Server," version 3.5, Appendix A, Pages, 114-115.
Restart the computer.

The Btrieve product discussed here is manufactured by Pervasive Software Inc. (formerly Btrieve Technologies Inc.), a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.