From: Alexander Gonta 
Subject: Re: TCP/IP and IPX
Date: 1998/04/14
Message-ID: #1/1
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Reply-To: agonta@ix.netcom.com
To: Phil Scott 
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Organization: Netcom
Newsgroups: fido.novell


Hi Phil,

I don't know the exact answer, but I have a suspicion of what the
problem may be. You see, IPX is a very small and efficient protocol,
and uses SAP to broadcast machine names. IP can not broadcast
directly, and thus, must be registered with a naming server, such as DNS
or WINS. I suggest you turn off Netbeui on your clients, since they're only
eating up bandwidth un-necessarily, and make sure that you have a "master
browser"
defined properly. You see, you'll have browser elections of who is the master
browser on any given IP segment, and this is the machine that broadcasts
the browse list. Consequently, the election process happens all the time,
with no master browser defined, and only upon one "winning", does he
allow all the other machines to reach the Exchange server, via finding
its name on behalf of the other machines.

My advice is to make sure you have 2 WINS servers setup , as push pull
partners, and make sure all desktops have joined domain and have WINS
enabled. If this is not possible, then make sure you Exchange server can
exchange an LMHOST file with the domain controller, and this way, they'll
know each other a faster and better. You also don't mention if you're running
routers
or bridges, but the behaviour you're describing almost sounds like you're
running
bridges. Perhaps check with the network guys and check how the routers are set
up.
If you are indeed running routers, not bridges, some of the new style routers,
such as the Cisco 7000 are capable of routing Netbios, even though ordinarily,
it's a non-routable protocol. Make sure the router guys turn this off if it has

been enabled. You'll see much better bandwidth.

I honestly don't know the exact problem, but I stongly suspect it's related to
browser elections eating up all bandwidth prior to connectivity being allowed
to take place.  Hope I've pointed you in correct direction.

                                    Sincerely,

                                    Alex G.


Phil Scott wrote:

> I am currently running a Novell/Microsoft network and require both TCP/IP
> and IPX protocols. My problem is that the Network runs very slowly, logging
> into Exchange can take upto 5 mins, with both TCP/IP and IPX, yet only a
> couple of seconds with just IPX. Has anybody else come across this or know
> of a solution. I am running the Novell 32 bit client and the Mirosoft
> TCP/IP client under Win 95.
>
> Thanks
>
> Phil Scott
> scottpjb@scottpjb.demon.co.uk