Inability to view Windows2K Servers over WAN Frame Relay

[tsudar]

I recently upgraded to a Catalyst4006 Layer 3 switch at one of our remote offices. The IOS version is 12.1(8a)EW1. VLANs have been created on the local network there replacing the flat network that previously existed. Everything is routing and working fine throughout the Enterprise network with this exception -- I cannot see this particular remote office's servers within its specified domain when looking through My Network Places from any of the other offices on the Enterprise network. I can ping and receive responses, I can attach and map drives to the servers. Could there be a NETBIOS issue involved? We are using DHCP at that remote office so consequently I have a DHCP helper address statement in the config. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the new Cat4006's or if the problem is specific to Windows.

[difs]

If these are Win2k servers that are within inter-routed VLANs you need to use Active Directory Sites and Services. Each "site" needs to be associated with a subnet. If these are NT 4 servers you need to configure WINS, either way this is a microsoft administration issue.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/profwin/pw0302.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/evaluate/featfunc/nt5wins.asp

[namso2]

It sounds like a Windows problem to me.

One possibility is: When you had one big brodcast domain before, it included a Windows server which was acting as a Master Browser for your subnet. If this is the case, there are two ways to resolve this:

1-Point all you clients to a WINS server and set the node type (DHCP Option 046) to 0x8. Of course, your servers need to be registering themselves in WINS as well.

2-If your network is not big enough to justify WINS, you can instead make sure that each IP subnet has a Master Browser. A domain controller would be a good selection, or a server-class machine that does not get rebooted often.