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Cannot browse servers on single VLAN

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by mikeb56 1 view

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Here we have a fully switched network with multiple VLAN's. Recently we added a new subnet/vlan and moved 15 servers to it. Everything works good, dns resolves properly, however workstations on other subnets cannot see the servers when browsing the network. All servers have static IP's and we do have a WINS, although we are pretty much 2003 server and XP workstations. Could this be a master browser issue? or WINS? Looking for other things to try.
Thanks.

10 replies

by parthiv_13

It seems to be Master Browser issue. Though try to go through www.winguides.com and other FAQs on techrepublic.

Whatever the solution you get don't forget to post on site again.

Good Luck

by justin james

Do you have a router set up to handle the separate VLANs properly? Are they denying SMB traffic from going to/from the new VLAN? Have you tried specifying a direct UNC path, via IP address if needed (for example, \\192.168.3.10) to see if SMB traffic is getting through at all?

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that a Windows domain will, by default, allow domains/servers/workstations in a different subnet to be browsable either.

J.Ja

by justin james

My TCP/IP may be slipping here (sadly, I left my monstrouc Cisco books either at my office or with a previous employer, and won't find out until Monday), but there is no way that your traffic can cross VLANs without going through a gateway (router). It is against The Rules. If your traffic from Subnet A is reaching Subnet B, then most likely your clients are going to your router at the edge of your network and being redirected back to the other VLAN.

This is the whole idea behind VLANs. Keep in mind what "VLAN" stands for... "VITUAL LAN", two totally separate networks that communicate with each other the same way two separate LANs do (via a gateway/router) despite sharing Layer 2 (and sometimes even Layer 1) hardware such as switches.

Do a traceroute from Subnet A to Subnet B, if you see your edge router there, that's what's happening.

Here's another question: are there domain controllers in both subnets, or are all of the DC's in one subnet?

Also, the master browsing system relies on broadcasting whole subnet, which your router most likely will not forward to the other subnet.

The Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit has some great info on this, but I'm not sure where the links are online (I looked it up in my MSDN Library), but I know you can download it, and do a search for "master browser subnet".

Hope this helps!

J.Ja

by mikeb56

No routers are used for connecting our subnets. It's purely switches using VLAN configuration. I can access resources using url by name or ip (\\192.168.1.x) It's just a browsing the network problem.
We do have WINS running on the network, not sure why, so I added the wins server in the ip settings to a server and it now shows up from a different VLAN when browsing. I shouldn't have to keep WINS running, however if I remove it from the domain will this become a bigger problem...?

Still looking into master browser problem.. Could WINS be conflicting with master browser?

Thanks for suggestions.

by paulk

I believe this is a Netbios issue. Netbios is not routable so it cant cross from one subnet to another. If your Router or Switch is Cisco here's what you do:

From the PC Vlan forward the Netbios ports 137-139 to the Server Vlan using the "ip-helper" command. This command basically will route broadcast traffic to specific destinations. For more details have a search on Cisco's site.

Sl?n

Paul

by avayaconsultant

This does not sound like a DNS, WINS or Netbios problem. From teh switch console, try to ping both subnets. You should be able to do so. If not, your switch needs to be corrected. If you can ping both, you need to do a traceroute and see where the trace stops. I would make sure I look closely at your systems default gateway and make sure they have a way to get to the other subnets. (Normally the leading IP Address of you VLAN)

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