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  • #2187050

    FREEZE NIGHTMARE

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    by mtorres7 ·

    We have a continuous hanging situation with our computers.
    We have 40 Windows 2000 identical clones (athlon 2.2, 512 RAM, 40GBHD). LAN OS is Windows Server 2003, Small Business. SQL and Exchange are running on the same server. Cabling is Cat 5e, and 2 24-ports Trendnet main swithches. Internet connection is a 512kb DSL, connected directly to one of the switches. I have followed all the precautions, update all the W2K stations with MS windows update, installed anti-spam utilities (MS Spyware and Spyboot), have Symantec Corporate Ed. at the server, updating daily, etc. etc. etc.
    Sometimes, when one station is hanging at all times, I have exchanged hard disks with another similar PC, and solved the situation. Lately, I’m changing the boot to the lan mode at some PC’s, and login directly to the domain, instead of defining the users locally at W2K.
    Please help!

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    • #3240252

      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by cg it ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      continuous hang meaning?

      Are your switches managed switches? if so are you running DHCP on the swtich itself? Are you running DHCP on SBS? If the switch is a managed switch without DHCP but with a static IP is that IP reserved in the SBS DHCP? Is your SBS box multihomed?

      If your SBS box is multihomed did you VLAN the switch? why do you have your DSL line connected right to the switch? Is the DSL line also VLAN onto it’s own Subnet?

      Are you running the standard edition of SBS or premium edition with ISA server? Is ISA installed?

      • #3239574

        Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

        I read Hal and Semmel comments however they are not taking in consideration that your using the Small Business Server edition of Windows 2003 Server. The Small Busienss Server edition operates differently than the standard Windows 2003 Server or Enterprise Edition. First off it’s designed to run on one box with Exchange Server, Sharepoint Services, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and if you get the preminum edition, SQL server and ISA server 2000. ISA server 2000 being the firewall proxy server that would replace the need for a firewall/router between the internet and your LAN.

        Because of those points, I asked the question I did. I would venture to say that the VLAN configuration in your managed switches is the real cause of your continous hang problem however a description of your network topology is needed to really make a determination.

      • #3238343

        Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

        by mtorres7 ·

        In reply to Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

        Poster rated this answer.

    • #3240159
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      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by hal 9000 ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      Just out of curiosity why is the Modem plugged into one of the switches/Hubs instead of the server?

      Doing it that way would require company wide security on every workstation and no direct control of any incoming/outgoing packets.

      If you only have Symantec Corporate Edition on the Server it is only protecting the server and not every workstation in the link so they can become infected by anything at all and if they are not turned off overnight when you have set Symantec to scan the entire network any infections will not be picked up. Of course this is not done during work hours because of bandwidth constraints so just what is the Symantec product protecting besides the server?

      It sounds to me like a very vulnerable setup and shortcutting the system is only making it easer to attack as you obviously have some form of something happening and then logging directly into the Domain instead of through protected user names is giving whatever the infection or spy-ware is almost unlimited access to your system.

      If the server doesn’t have 2 LAN sockets fit another NIC Card and run the modem through that keep it away totally from your Switches/Hubs I would also be fitting a DSL Router in place of the DSL Modem as well but by now the horse has long ago bolted so you are up against it from the start but having a router in place will at least stop most of any unwanted outgoing packets being sent.

      Lets know how you get on.

      Col

    • #3240120

      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by semmelbroesel ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      I strongly agree with the second poster that some kind of Router would definitely be a good idea.

    • #3238508

      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by jonathanpdx ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      Technically, your DSL “modem” is most likely a router. I agree that it should be connected through a server rather than a switch for security’s sake.

      It would help if you could be a little more clear on what happens when your machines “hang.” Is it during boot? Running applications?

      Have you set unique SIDs (your Computer’s Security Identifier) on each machine? You can read more about it here:
      http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/newsid.shtml

    • #3238350

      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by mtorres7 ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      The main reason of the nightmare are the ad-pops! Using the utility “HijackThis.exe”, you can delete all the entries of the ads.
      Thank you all for your help!

    • #3238339

      Reply To: FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      by mtorres7 ·

      In reply to FREEZE NIGHTMARE

      This question was closed by the author

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