Windows 2003 R2 x64 failing to communicate with Vista / Win 7

ressem · 07-11-2009 06:23PM #1

Setup is Windows 2003 R2 X64 server with about 150 xp clients.
It's providing domain controller, file & print, DHCP, DNS services. It also is set up to act as a NAT router using windows routing and remote access.

The XP (desktop) clients appear to be working fine, but I've plugged in and tried multiple Windows vista premium and a Windows 7 Pro laptop which have severe network issues.

If I connect my own laptop (currently windows 7 pro retail) it selectively fails to 'see' traffic sent from the server.

ISSUE: NSLOOKUP from the laptop fails. Network monitor 3.3 on the server sees the request and claims to respond, but Wireshark on the laptop does not see the response. As mentioned before, the XP clients don't have this problem.

Pings to addresses outside the intranet (through the server's routing service) might provide one response, but then fails to respond.

Troubleshooting done:

Server and laptop are fully patched.
Firewall is switched off on the laptop.
Wireless is switched off on the laptop.
I can ping the server, and the server can ping the laptop.
I've tried switching off IPv6 and SSDP on the laptop using the normal checkboxes (doesn't seem to stop all the 128 bit addressed traffic though)

I think that I've ruled out simple hardware issues by running Solaris in a VM with the network card in bridged mode and everything works fine on the same laptop/cable/switch ports.
If I connect a cheap hardware router between the server and the laptop, then it works perfectly.
Setting a static address/dns/gateway on the laptop does not help.
The laptop has not had this issue communicating with Windows 2003 R2 servers in other locations, but these didn't use the routing service.
Wireshark on the laptop is seeing broadcast traffic from the network.

Has anyone seen this before and might have some hints? Thanks.

Static M.e. · 09-11-2009 11:12AM

Begin by switching off "NAT router using windows routing and remote access"

Test connection

ressem · 09-11-2009 02:01PM

Thanks,
It'll be the weekend before I get to try this out as it involves cutting off the internet for the building, so any additional suggestions would be welcome in the meantime.
(I know, stop using windows for routing; there are extenuating circumstances)

Other possible hints...
pings to the server from the affected laptops are a lot slower than from XP/solaris/linux/2003.
1x 45 ms then 3x 25 ms as opposed to < 1ms.

So perhaps they are trying to talk to the opposite interface on the server, or there is other software on the laptops getting in the way. A completely clean laptop install still has the issue.

I've tried updating network drivers but to no effect.

Routing table seems to be correct... I've seen links suggesting that some 3rd party software adds an invalid route.

===========================================================================
Interface List
 11...00 1c 23 08 06 34 ......Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit Controller
  1...........................Software Loopback Interface 1
 18...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
 13...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
===========================================================================

IPv4 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination        Netmask          Gateway       Interface  Metric
          0.0.0.0          0.0.0.0         10.0.0.1        10.0.1.86     10
         10.0.0.0      255.255.0.0         On-link         10.0.1.86    266
        10.0.1.86  255.255.255.255         On-link         10.0.1.86    266
     10.0.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         10.0.1.86    266
        127.0.0.0        255.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        127.0.0.1  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  127.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link         10.0.1.86    266
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         10.0.1.86    266
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

IPv6 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
 If Metric Network Destination      Gateway
  1    306 ::1/128                  On-link
  1    306 ff00::/8                 On-link
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

Windows 2003 R2 x64 failing to communicate with Vista / Win 7

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