Very confusing. I'm on co-op at an elementary school and I've just finished wiping clean and re-configuring their only server, a Dell Poweredge 2400 running Netware 5.1 with built-in SP8 (It was beyond repair). I've had to upgrade the last few of their 95 machines to 98SE and install the Netware client. Here's how I did each machine: Fresh install, verify connectivity to internet, install client. When testing the client, it works perfectly maybe once per fresh install, and then when I click "Trees" on the login it can sometimes see and select the tree, but once I click "Contexts", it says "Cannot access tree "NW51-TREE"". Then I click "Trees" again and it's gone! The computers they already had running 98SE were running an older client, so I updated them to the same version I'd used on the previously-95's and all the machines I'd used in a compatability-test-scenario practice type thing I did before actually taking down their server and reinstalling & configging it. All these (the ones they already had running 98SE) work near flawlessly. Once in awhile they cant see the tree, but if I just type in the tree, context, and server, and try to log in anyway, they work. The previously-95's SOMETIMES work that way, but not often enough to disregard the issue. A very sparatic, inconsistant problem, which is why I'm so stumped.

if you are running TCP/IP, then the client finds Novell stuff on the network with a protocol called SLP (service location protocol).

Unlike SAP, the equivalent protocol in IPX/SPX, SLP doesn't work with broadcasts. This means that sometimes configuration issues occur. (The beauty of a broadcast is that every NIC on the right side of a router hears it).

At logon, the client will look for a directory agent, to tell it which server to log into. You can set the name of the directory agent in the novell client properties. Configuration is a lot like IP addresses, i.e. static or dynamic through a DHCP server. In other words, you can specify the directory agent server which will respond to the client's query in the client, or you can set up DHCP, so the directory agent address will be supplied along with DHCP response to the PC.

For more info:

http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?10098246.htm

scroll down to:

METHODS FOR CONFIGURING A CLIENT'S DA LIST

Since you can type in the tree and server and it works, then it could be an SLP issue.

One tactic would be to set "Use Broadcast for SLP Multicast" to ON in the client properties. So long as the clients and server are on the same subnet, then it will work. If it does, then you know it's an SLP configuration issue. Set it back to "off" and read the document to properly configure SLP.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." - BILL CLINTON

One other tactic: increase time to wait for a response from the directory agent. Maybe you have a slow, busy network?

CLient properties>advanced settings>

Wait Before Giving Up On DA = 5 seconds

change to 15 or thereabouts.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." - BILL CLINTON

Thanks! I configured the DA List and all but one is working. I suspect a bad NIC, though network congestion is probably a problem, too.. The entire network is on hubs and they've probably got around 100 computers and one server, should I suggest segmentation?

On that one particular machine that doesnt work, it defaults the correct tree, context, and server, but when I attempt a login, IMMEDIATELY after I try it says "Request to server timed out. There could be network congestion or the server may be down. Try the operation again later." But it doesn't even have enough time to try anything, the error pops up RIGHT when I try to login.

Now i just got an error on that ____ machine. "Couldn't find any contexts for the tree "NW51-TREE"."

1. that network certainly needs switches. you can even still make use of existing hubs with a "hub and spoke" layout. Split the network into 5 hubs or so, and connect each hub to a central switch with the server directly connected to the switch. Also, make sure the network nodes are configured to use point-to-point connections as much as possible and not broadcasts. For example, use static entry for Directory Agent in the client properties. This is the IP Address of the Netware server. It's in Advanced Settings, if i remember rightly. Although - did you already do this?

2. On the troublesome machine see if the static IP address of the server mentioned above works. Seems to me like a general networking problem relating to the client. Try different NIC, different cable, reinstalling the client.

3. In this problem it would be handy to look at a LAN analyzer app, but i can't help there because i'm looking for a good one now myself! Any tips would be appreciated!

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." - BILL CLINTON