Running GSNW without a Preferred Server Statement (174654)
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 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.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 5/13/2003 |
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| Keywords: | kbArtTypeINF kbinfo KB174654 |
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