SNA Manager Shows Incorrect Status For Resources In Subdomain (164892)

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256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

A computer running Microsoft SNA Server that is configured to use only TCP/IP as the protocol for Server Broadcasts may not resume sending these broadcasts after a network outage. If the SNA Server computer stops sending/receiving broadcasts, the SNA Server Manager will not display an accurate status for SNA resources in the subdomain.

CAUSE

When using TCP/IP, SNA Server 3.0 systems keep track of the other SNA Servers in the subdomain by adding them to the following registry entry:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      \SYSTEM
         \CurrentControlSet
            \Services
               \SnaBase
                  \Parameters
                     \SnaTcp
                        \LocalHosts:
                           <snaserver1>:REG_MULTI_SZ: <ip address>
                              <snaserver2>:REG_MULTI_SZ: <ip address>

LocalHosts will contain a list of all the SNA servers in the subdomain.

This problem occurs because SnaBase was removing the names in the LocalHosts registry entry during a network outage that lasted longer than SnaBase's timeout of five minutes. SnaBase did not resume the server broadcasts because there were no server names in the list for it to send the broadcasts to.

A computer running SNA Server that is listed in the LocalHosts registry entry should be removed only if that SNA Server is stopped. They should not be removed because of a timeout condition such as a network outage.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

A workaround exists by adding the following registry entry

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
      \SYSTEM
         \CurrentControlSet
            \Services
               \SnaBase
                  \Parameters
                     \PermanentServers: REG_MULTI_SZ: <list>

where the entries in the <list> are the SNA Server Names and/or IP addresses listed on separate lines in the registry editor Multi-String Editor Data field. SnaBase will always send service table updates to the SNA Servers listed under this registry entry even if they are not in the SNA Server configuration file.

The SnaBase service has been updated to prevent servers from being removed from the LocalHosts list due to a timeout condition.

The following module has been updated:

\<snaroot>\System\Snabase.exe

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SNA Server version 3.0. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K