Network Load Balancing cluster node does not successfully converge (812870)

RESOLUTION

1. Verify the Network Load Balancing configuration.
   
   For additional information about how to do this, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   197992 How to configure WLBS using a single network interface card

   256124 How to configure an IP address for NLB with one network adapter

   256910 IP address assignment for nlb with multiple network adapters

   303608 How to configure Network Load Balancing parameters in Windows 2000

2. Verify the number (NumberOfRules) and type of port rules (PortRules) on each cluster host.
   
   Each host must have the same number and type of port rules. Additionally, the host priorities (HostPriority) must not overlap. To view the configuration of a Network Load Balancing cluster host, run the WLBS display command from a command prompt. The following is an example of the output from this command:

   === Configuration: ===
   
   HostPriority            = 2
   NumberOfRules           = 1
   PortRules
   Virtual IP addr Start  End     Prot   Mode        Pri    Load    Affinity
   
              ALL      0  65535   Both   Multiple           Equal   C
   
   00000000 0000FFFF 6FFFF000 00000002 00000003 00000001 00010001 00000000

   Compare the HostPriority, NumberOfRules, and PortRules results for each cluster host.
3. View the Microsoft Windows 2000 Event Viewer to determine if a host is in conflict with another cluster host.
4. Reduce the Network Load Balancing hardware configuration to the simplest possible configuration.
   
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   247297 Network Load Balancing connection to a Virtual IP address not made across a switch

5. Make sure that you are not using a crossover cable between the private network adapters in the cluster.
   
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   242248 Using crossover cable causes load balancing not to work

6. If you use a layer 2 switch to connect the Network Load Balancing hosts in unicast mode, make sure that you can pass broadcast packets. If this feature is not enabled, the heartbeat packets cannot be detected by other hosts. This causes the hosts to converge only with themselves.
   
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   238219 How NLB hosts converge when connected to a Layer 2 switch

7. Replace the switch that connects the private network adapters in the cluster with a hub. Connect the hub to the uplink port on the switch. If you already use a hub to connect the private network adapters, set the MaskSourceMAC registry value to 0 (zero).
   
   For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   193602 Configuration options for WLBS hosts connected to layer 2 switches

   
   

   303765 How to perform Advanced Network Load Balancing procedures in Windows 2000

   Note Some switches are reported to cause problems with Network Load Balancing clusters.
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   247297 Network Load Balancing connection to a Virtual IP address not made across a switch

   
   Additionally, some hubs have built-in switch functionality--for example, the 3COM Superstack dual-speed hub 3C16592B. Some network adapters may not be able to autosense the network transmission speed correctly. It may be best to manually configure the network speed for the network adapters on all cluster hosts.
8. If the cluster hosts have Gigabit network adapters, verify that they are listed on the hardware compatibility list (HCL).
   
   For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   309395 The Microsoft support policy for server clusters, the Hardware Compatibility List, and the Windows Server Catalog

9. Check the Gigabit Server Adapter properties. The network adapter driver may prevent hosts from overwriting the real Media Access Control (MAC) address with the address that is used for Network Load Balancing (the ClusterNetworkAddress entry that is returned when you run the WLBS display command). This MAC address is in the format of 02-BF-ww-xx-yy-zz where ww-xx-yy-zz is the cluster virtual IP address in hexadecimal notation. For example, 02-BF-0A-A5-02-13 corresponds to IP address 10.165.2.19.
   
   If you are using Network Load Balancing in unicast mode, you may have to manually set the network adapter's Locally Administered Address (LAA) to the Network Load Balancing cluster unicast MAC address (ClusterNetworkAddress). You must do this by using the driver program for the load-balanced network adapter on each host in the cluster. You must not set the LAA for Network Load Balancing clusters that are operating in multicast mode.
10. Verify that you are running the latest network adapter drivers.
11. Make sure that you are not using fault tolerant or teaming network adapters. If you are using teaming network adapters, disable teaming mode for the duration of the troubleshooting process.
    
    For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    278431 Using teaming adapters with network load balancing may cause network problems

12. If your Network Load Balancing cluster has two nodes, stop the node that works correctly. To do so, follow these steps:
    1. From a command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER:

       wlbs stop

    2. On the remaining cluster node, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

       wlbs query

       If the host does not converge with itself, or with other cluster nodes, follow these steps:
       1. Obtain and install the latest network adapter drivers, or if this is a Compaq computer the latest SoftPack.
       2. Test Network Load Balancing.
          
          If it does not work successfully, disable the fault-tolerant teaming mode (if applicable) on the network adapters, and then re-test Network Load Balancing.
       3. If you are unsuccessful, remove the network adapter device by using Device Manager.
          
          Restart the server and permit Windows to detect the network adapter drivers. Reconfigure Network Load Balancing by using a virtual and a dedicated IP address.
13. Capture a network trace on the cluster network adapters.
    
    The Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit includes a Microsoft Network Monitor parser for Windows Load Balancing Server and Network Load Balancing traffic (Wlbs_hb.dll and Wlbs_rc.dll). You can use this for additional troubleshooting.
    
    For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    280503 Additional Network Monitor Parsers Included in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit

WLBS Cluster Control Utility V2.4 (c) 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation.

Host 1 converged as DEFAULT with the following host(s) as part of the cluster:
1,2

WLBS Cluster Control Utility V2.4 (c) 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation.

Host 2 converged with the following host(s) as part of the cluster:
1,2