Wireless laptops lose connection to 08 server

[IT_Monkeh]

Hi folks,

 

We've hit a really perplexing problem with a new 2008 server (64bit, not R2). What's happening is a small pool of 5 laptops (Win XP), which connect to the school domain wirelessly, are intermittently losing connection to this server, and only this server.

 

The laptops remain connected to their WAP and can always access other servers (all of which are running Server03) and get onto the internet etc, but frequently they'll drop the connection to the 08 server, dropping their mapped drive to it and are unable to even ping it. If we start a continuous ping to the server, the laptops will eventually get a response, after a few mins of ping timing out, and then we're able to restore the mapped drive. Of course, it all goes wrong again shortly after.

 

The problem only occurs on these wireless laptops - a large number of desktop PCs with wired connections have no problems with this server. The WAP has WPA-PSK security enabled, and nothing else out of the ordinary. The laptops previously had no problem staying connected to the old 03 server that used to perform the new 08 server's role. We've tried turning off the 08 server's firewall, but the problem persisted.

 

Has anyone encountered anything like this, or can think of what might be causing it? We're really at a loss with this one

 

Edit: Oops, I now see my fellow tech already posted a question about this yesterday - http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-server-2008/55097-issues-wireless-networking-windows-2008-server.html - sorry!

Edited April 30, 2010 by IT_Monkeh
Other technician escaped holding pen and got onto internet.

[m25man]

I have just responded to a similar issue, can you check to see if IPV6 has been unchecked in the NIC settings?

I have found this to be responsible for a multitude of 2008/2008r2/win7 problems.

IP V6 is native for these OS.

If disabled in this manner it's responsible for a multitude of Networking and update disasters!

[IT_Monkeh]

Thanks m25man, I've just checked the server and IPv6 was enabled. For the sake of exploring all possibilities, we're actually going to try disabling it for a short time, to see if it makes a difference. I realise that, as you suggest, this seems more likely to create other problems, but on the off chance that this stops the disconnections, we'd at least know what area we need to be looking at.

 

I think otherwise, our next step will be to look at swapping out the WAP to see if we can isolate the issue there.

[IT_Monkeh]

The disconnection problem persisted with IPv6 unticked, so we've reverted to having it ticked. Now experimenting with a spare WAP.

[sted]

is it worth enabling ipv6 on one of the laptops see if it will stay connected with that?

[IT_Monkeh]

is it worth enabling ipv6 on one of the laptops see if it will stay connected with that?

Yep, it'll definitely be worth installing ipv6 on one of them if this spare WAP goes the same way. So far though, the spare WAP (Netgear WG102) seems to be doing a much better job of keeping a connection open to the 08 server than the Linksys WAP200 that's in use. I'm going to give it until 2pm, and if it hasn't dropped out by then, it's looking like the Linksys WAP and Server 08 aren't the best of friends.

[IT_Monkeh]

Well, we couldn't replicate the problem with either of two other WAPs, so it looks like that is indeed where the problem lies [fingers crossed]