Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

My Netware connection keep losing time

0 helpful
7 replies

by itroubleshoot

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have a DOS machine that does serial transfers all week. It logs into Novell (Netware 4.11) one time and stays logged in for good. The problem is it keeps losing the time. After a week or so the date of the machine is 1 or 2 days early. If this is not caught in time the date can be over a week off! The data being uploaded is critical that it be correctly time/date stamped. My current fix is to have the users reset the machine daily. I have it auto login to the network. If they forget though (Which happens frequently) then the date goes off again. It is NOT the computer as it is the third one there doing the same thing. It feels like a Novell bug.
I also would like to auto login with a password in my start-up batch file.

7 replies

by smbooher

There are some known bugs with timekeeping between netware servers and windows workstations. I think it is more important from the point of view of time syncronization that netware servers be synce with other servers in a network. However this is not so important for workstations in a business environment. Check your bios time settings on your server and your workstations and insure they all match local time correctly. Then go to the setup options on each workstation and make an adjustment to the netware client properties that will tell the workstation NOT to get the time of day from the server. Novell netware Client, Properties, Advanced Settings, & Set Station Time to "OFF". Should work. I hope this is what you were looking for. S. Booher

by itroubleshoot

This solution will NOT help my problem as I have the DOS client. I have not looked into any command line settings for the DOS client that might do this. Although the problem is NOT with the synchronization to the network. Because to fix the time I have to LOGIN. the problem occurs if I stay logged in instead of logging in every day. The BIOS time/date on the workstation is ok. I have left the machine on without being on the network for several days and it doesn't lose time. Thanks anyway.

by smbooher

The Dos client is a little different but there ae commands. Try this solution.
There are various points in the login process when the workstation will synchronize its time to the time on the server that it is connecting to.

The first time is on initial connection to the server, this is BEFORE you run LOGIN.EXE or GUI login VLM / DOSWIN32 / Win95 client32 will all by default sync their time to the server that they initially connect to before login.

To keep the Workstation from synchronizing it's time with the server on connection either:
Add the following line to the NetWare dos requester section of the NET.CFG file:
SET STATION TIME = OFF
Or, if in windows 95 then set the advanced settings SET STATION TIME to OFF under the client32 properties.

The second point at which the workstation will sync time with the server is while running login script when logging in; all clients including NT sync at this point.

To keep the clients from synchronizing put the following command in the container login script:

SET_TIME OFF

By default (for example, no setting in login script) the workstations will sync their time after running login script.

Note: The 4.11a client for NT has a problem where it is currently NOT possible to keep from synchronizing workstation time with the server. Engineering has solved this problem in the ZEN client v4.3 for NT.

by itroubleshoot

Again the problem is solved by re-logging into the network. Unfortunately I can't do that ALL the time as this is an automated program that constantly runs by itself. So turning synchronization off during logon causes the time to NEVER get set correct.

by pierrejamme

Have you considered buying a new CMOS battery for the DOS machine. It may be old and weak and slowly losing time. NetWare adjusts time in w95 client as mentioned above, but I do not bellieve it does anything with a DOS client.

by itroubleshoot

Yes. As stated, this is the third workstation with the same problem. I can't believe they ALL have bad batteries. I also have left the machine on without the network for several days and have had no loss of time. It has something to do with it staying logged into the network for several days/weeks on end. I have currently put a fix in that after every transaction the program will automatically shell out to DOS and re-login to the network. Problem has pretty much been solved by doing this.

This discussion is closed to new replies.