Local Browsing on Small Business Server (193789)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0
  • Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0a
This article was previously published under Q193789

SYMPTOMS

When you view a browse list from a BackOffice Small Business Server (SBS) version 4.0 or 4.0a, the list does not display all resources on the attached network. In this case, browsing refers to the functions accessed from the Network Neighborhood icon on the server's Desktop or by using the Manage Small Business Server Console and selecting the More Tasks icon and then selecting Manage Computers. You may also notice that sometimes the resources (that is, clients) are not highlighted in blue in the drop down box under Manage Computers.

This display failure does not affect a system's ability to work with or to connect to any workstation or the server. It also does not affect administering the system in any way. However, to ensure that the resources are displayed properly, it may be necessary to make changes as outlined below.

NOTE: There are separate client and server procedures.

RESOLUTION

On the Client

Verify the network browsing configuration of the client. If you can connect directly to a network share by clicking Start on the taskbar, selecting Run and then typing in \\<server>\<sharename> (press Enter), then changing the following client settings can resolve the issue. Please be aware that these changes to the browsing behavior of an SBS client are not default settings on the client and must be manually changed by a user or administrator.
  1. Double-click the Network icon from the Control Panel.
  2. Ensure that the workgroup name on the Network Identification tab is the same as the SBS server's domain name.
  3. Click File and Print Sharing on the Configuration tab and verify that the Browse Master entry is set to Disabled and the Lmanounce entry is set to No.
  4. Restart the client. This is all that should be required on an individual client system to correct the issue. If, after ten minutes the clients do not appear on the browse list, continue.
You should also verify that the TCP/IP and NetBEUI protocols are installed. When installing TCP/IP, the default installation options for the client will suffice. Winipcfg.exe (for Windows 95 and Windows 98) and Ipconfig.exe (for Windows NT) are the command-line utilities that can be used to verify the TCP/IP installation.

If there is no TCP/IP address assigned to the client system, ensure that the DHCP service is running on the server and reboot both the server and client. If this does not work, consult the Knowledge Base for solutions specific to the client operating system you are using. However, if there are no WINS entries using the above-mentioned utilities, but there is a TCP/IP address, it will be necessary to perform some troubleshooting activities on the server.

NOTE: RAS clients attempting to browse the network have two options. Use a proxy server, such as Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0, and ensure that ONLY the NetBEUI protocol is loaded on the RAS client. Or, if a proxy server is not used, IP Forwarding must be enabled on the server (located on the Routing tab when viewing the properties of the TCP/IP protocol from the Network Icon on the Control Panel). In this case, either TCP/IP or NetBEUI can be used. No additional scopes will be required on the DHCP server.

On the Server

Please note that all necessary components for proper browsing are installed by default. However there are settings in the DHCP Manager that may need to be modified to allow a WINS server to be used for name resolution. To correct a browsing issue from the server:

  1. Verify that TCP/IP has been properly installed on the server.
  2. Select the Services icon on Control Panel and check to see that both the DHCP server and WINS service are running. If not, select the Start button to initialize them. If either service will not start, consult the server's help files, Microsoft Knowledge Base, or call Microsoft Product Support Services.
  3. Ensure that the DHCP Server service was correctly installed (by default). After starting the DHCP Manager (double-click the icon), select the appropriate server from the list of DHCP servers. There are separate entries for each defined scope on the SBS server. Selecting the individual scopes will display the properties for that scope. If required, refer to the following article to verify the scope has been set up correctly:

    139904 How to Configure Your DHCP Server Scope

    The default values for SBS are 10.0.0.1 through 10.0.0.255 where the excluded addresses (shown on the left side) are 10.0.0.1 through 10.0.0.10.
  4. If the lightbulb icon next to the scope is grey, the scope is inactive and needs to be activated by selecting the Activate option on the Scope drop down menu in the DHCP Manager.
  5. If there are no scope entries under the selected DHCP Server, select the Create option on the Scope drop down menu. Follow the same article noted above to create an active scope.
  6. If the SBS server also has WINS installed, it will be necessary to add two global scope options, 0x44 (NBNS Servers) and 0x46 (NBT Node Type), which are not part of the default DHCP installation.
  7. Select a scope on the DHCP Server and select the Global item from the DHCP Options drop down menu. You can then select the two required options from step 6 above and click Add. Then select the 0x44 option in the Active Options window and click Value. This will allow you to select the Edit Array button to add the TCP/IP address of the SBS WINS server to that option. Select the 0x46 option, and you can add the value "0x8" (without quotation marks) in the Byte field.

    NOTE: For a complete listing of WINS options that can be supplied by a DHCP Server, see the following article:

    121005 DHCP Options Supported by Clients

  8. On the WINS Address tab of the TCP/IP protocol's Properties, verify that both the Primary and Secondary WINS Server fields contain the proper TCP/IP address of the SBS server. NOTE: For servers running Windows NT Remote Access Services (RAS), verify that the Allow Remote TCP/IP to Access Entire Network radio button is selected on the RAS Server TCP/IP Configuration window. This option is not enabled by default.
  9. Reboot the server and each client; the systems should reappear in the browse list within 10 minutes.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on browsing with Windows NT, Windows 95, WIndows 98, and Small Business Server (SBS), refer to the following articles: For additional information about browsing with Windows NT, Windows 95, WIndows 98, and Small Business Server (SBS), please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

189848 Computers Disappear from Manage Computer Wizard in SBS

191611 Symptoms of Multihomed Browsers

188305 Troubleshooting the Microsoft Computer Browser Service

120151 Browsing a Wide Area Network with WINS

117633 How Browsing a Wide Area Network Works

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/24/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB193789
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.