Cannot Connect to Virtual IP Address by UNC Without NetBIOS Interface (258771)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition 4.0

This article was previously published under Q258771

SYMPTOMS

When you try to connect to a virtual IP address by using a NetBIOS call (such as the netview or nbtstat -a command, or a Universal Naming Convention [UNC] connection), your network client may receive a system error 53 "The network path was not found" or "Host not found" error message. However, you can connect to the node's IP address, the node name, or the network name that is dependent on the virtual IP address. You can also ping the the IP address.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the NetBIOS interface is not running on the cluster node that currently owns the IP address resource. A virtual IP address in the cluster relies on the the NetBIOS interface exclusively for NetBIOS name resolution.

RESOLUTION

In the Devices tool in Control Panel, verify that the NetBIOS interface is set to Manual (this is the default) and that the Messenger service is set to Automatic (this is the default). The NetBIOS interface should be started by the Messenger service because the Messenger service depends on the NetBIOS interface.

WORKAROUND

If the the NetBIOS interface and the Messenger service are both set correctly but the NetBIOS interface still does not work, set the NetBIOS interface to Automatic, and then reboot the system.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

195462 WINS Registration and IP Address Behavior for MSCS 1.0

248605 Cluster IP Address Resource Fails with Many IP Address Resources


Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/5/2006
Keywords:kbenv kberrmsg kbnetwork kbprb KB258771