Invalid LAA Media Access Control Address Causes Network Driver Failure (171332)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q171332 SYMPTOMS
If a user types invalid characters other than (0-9 A-F) or types more than
12 characters for the media access control address by not using hyphens
between bytes, Windows NT network driver interface specification (NDIS)
cannot initialize the card and will result in event message(s):
Event ID: 7000
Source: Service Control Manager
Description: The IBM Token Ring Adapter (ISA/PCMCIA) driver service
failed to start due to the following error:
A Device attached to the system is not functioning.
And in some instances, depending on the invalid characters typed, the
following event log message may be displayed:
Event ID: 6004
Source: Eventlog
Description: A driver packet received from the I/O subsystem was
invalid. The data is the packet
DATA: ........................ibmtok IBMTOK 17
CAUSE
Some network adapter drivers allow an administrator to assign locally
administered addresses (LAA) or universally administered addresses (UAA)
for the installed adapter card. This allows administrators to manage media
access control addresses and use it for inventory control and
troubleshooting purposes. The media access control address consists of 6
bytes using HEX Numbers 0-9 and A-F, so a typical media access control
address would look like this:
Most token ring adapter drivers present a dialog box during installation to
allow the user to type the LAA media access control address. The field
presented to the user allows for 17 characters and assumes the user is
going to use hyphens between bytes.
NOTE: Some OEM Ethernet drivers may also support this feature.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, clear the invalid entry by performing the
following steps:
- Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then
double-click the Network icon.
- Click the Adapters tab, select the installed adapter in question, and
then click Properties. When the dialog box appears, verify that the
media access control address displayed is valid or clear the entire
entry and restart the computer.
The media access control address being used can be displayed from an MS-DOS
command prompt by typing:
Workstation active on: NetBT_IBMTOK1 (00C04FC9F170) <--- media access
control address
MORE INFORMATION
It is up to the driver's installation .inf file to parse user input and
determine if the values entered are valid during network card installation.
Some OEM drivers will prevent invalid entries while other OEM drivers
accept any user input, that may cause problems during network card
initialization.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 5/14/2003 |
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| Keywords: | kbbug kbsetup KB171332 |
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