From: Chris 

1) Make sure you have the latest NIC drivers loaded. 2) Try connecting
through the laptop's NIC and through the Docking Station's NIC.  See
whether both fail.  If one fails and the other doesn't, then it's that
particular NIC, I would think. 3) If that doesn't work, change patch
cables. 4) If his computer gets this far on the list, then try fixing his
port connection speed at 100MBps Full Duplex and keep trying it.

We are using Foundry EIF4802CF switches here and have had issues with some
people having complete intermitten network connectivity loss.  The NIC
drivers is the first thing to try and then we will try fixing the speed. 
Interestingly enough, it helps in many cases.  Leaving the equipment at
AutoDetect generates more traffic anyway, so I'm told, because it rechecks
what speed to run at every so often (few secs?). Upgrading the Switch's
operating system also can make a difference.  It is one of the solutions
we've been implementing.

/Chris



Glenn Meadows wrote:
> His connection is solid to the network, nothing else goes away.
>
> The mail server is in a DMZ off of our firewall, and everyone goes through
> the same connection to get there, both internal, and external when using the
> VPN, or the public mail address.  What's strange, is that nobody else is
> having connection problems to the server, just him.  There are about 30 of
> us "hitting" the mail server, and it's internally on a 100mb
network, even
> through the firewall.
>
> Since it happens from any location he connects through,  (home, hotel, NY
> office, Nashville office), I doubt it's a connection issue, unless it's the
> Ethernet in his laptop going funky.
>
> I think I'll turn on the systray indicator, and see if the network
> disconnected warning pops up at times.  He's got a Dell Latitude 600 (I
> think that's the model number), and uses docking stations at all 3
> locations.  Each of the Dell Docks has a NIC built in to the dock, and it's
> not a port replicaiton, because it's a totally separate connection number,
> depending on if he's got the network cable plugged directly into the laptop,
> or into the dock.  First time he used the dock, it did the "New Hardware
> Detected" wizard.  Here in Nashville, he's got the big dock, that
includes a
> SCSI controller, as well as 2 extra PCI slots in it, while the one at home
> and in NY is the small doc, that just has the same connections that are on
> the laptop.  Here, we hooked up a high speed SCSI scanner to replace the HP
> all in one gizmo, as well as a USB2 PCI card, so he can have his iPod
> connected and load music at the higher speed.  The laptop comes with a USB 1
> port.  Nice Docks.  Bought them on eBay for about 25.00 each, list new is
> hundreds of dollars. .
>

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