WIN 2000 Clients on NT DHCP Server

[mace54]

On our domain we are running a NT 4.0 DHCP server and have mostly NT clients but a few Win2000 clients. These Win2000 clients are set up to obtain an IP address from the DHCP server and they all did obtain one at first. But recently they all lost their IP addresses and can't pick up a new one. I checked the DHCP server and there are plenty available IP addresses within the scope but they are not picking one up. This is only happening on the 2000 clients. What can I to do to help them obtain an address from our server?

 

[michaylukr]

Are there any errors in the Application or System logs on both the DHCP server and the 2000 clients? Did anything change recently that coincides with the 2000 clients failing to get an address (i.e. moved to new subnet)? Is the failure sudden and did they all fail at once? Are you certain that the other clients can still get addresses? If you issue a ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew on a 2000 and non-2000 client, what is the difference? Can the 2000 clients view the network at all?

 

[GlenJohnson]

But recently they all lost their IP addresses and can't pick up a new one.
michaylukr is correct in his questions. Something had to change. Can you ping? How about ipconfig /all and see what's different. good luck. Glen A. Johnson
Johnson Computer Consulting
MCP W2K
glen@johnsoncomputers.us

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884
"All human power is a compound of time and patience."
Honore de Balzac (1799 - 1850); French author

 

[doomhamur]

This could be a dns/wins issue. make sure that you have the correct dns/wins servers in your scope. Also make sure your dns/wins server are running properly. I had a problem one time when a dns/wins server went down and no xp/2k systems could get ip addresses. Doomhamur
Network Engineer
"Certifications? we dont need no stinking certifiaction."

 

[mace54]

thanks for the suggestions. i tried an ipconfig /release and /renew on an NT client and it said it was unable to contact the DHCP server. so this problem is no longer related to win 2000 clients. i can ping the server and get a reply from it. nothing to enlightining from the event viewer on the client and server side. just said that it couldn't reach the dhcp server. to get these machines back up on the network i have to manualy assign them an address. any more suggestions as to why these machines can't reach the DHCP server. nothing has changed recently that could affect this.

 

[GlenJohnson]

On the server, try and stop the dhcp service and restart it. If that doesn't do it, try and re-boot the server. Glen A. Johnson
Johnson Computer Consulting
MCP W2K
glen@johnsoncomputers.us

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Blaise Pascal

 

[CowboysFan87]

I'm having the EXACT same problem. DHCP is working fine, the DHCP logs show all kinds of activity, however, if one of my users ever leaves the subnet, travels to different site for example, and then comes back to this office, he/she can no longer get an IP address. If you put in a static IP address the machine works fine. I think this has something to do with the MAC on the PC because after this problem starts, even a DOS based GHOST diskette is unable to obtain and IP address on that same PC. I have even gone so far as deleting the scope and recreating it (LOADS of fun if you've ever done it..NOT!).
Server is NT 4.0 with SP6a
Clients having problems are 2000 SP2 & 3, XP, and XP SP1.

 

[GlenJohnson]

"if one of my users ever leaves the subnet,"
Can the fact be it's still set for a different subnet? What does ipconfig /all show after the problem comes up? Glen A. Johnson
Johnson Computer Consulting
MCP W2K
glen@johnsoncomputers.us

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884
"Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
we ought to know a little about everything."
Blaise Pascal

 

[CowboysFan87]

IPCONFIG shows the usual bogus 169.x.y.z address that MS assigns a PC that cannot see a DHCP server.

 

[GlenJohnson]

Getting closer. Now we have to find out why. Glen A. Johnson
Johnson Computer Consulting
MCP W2K
glen@johnsoncomputers.us

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884
"Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
we ought to know a little about everything."
Blaise Pascal

 

[mace54]

thought i had it figured out after i stopped and started the service and then rebooted the server but the same problem is back. we only have 90 valid address in our scope (.10 - .100) and, at the most, 70 machines configured to use dhcp. but for some odd reason all the addresses are filled up and there are about 7 to 10 addresses that have bad_address listed where the machine name should be. any idea what these are, and why when i delete them about 10 minutes later they grab the addresses right back up? thanks for all the help.

 

[GlenJohnson]

My isp has software that doesn't always work. When I try and access the internet, and it doesn't work I run a batch file I created.

Ipconfig /release
Ipconfig /renew

I have this on my desktop. Try making a simple batch file on a machine that has had problems, and run it, just to see what happens. Good luck. Glen A. Johnson
Johnson Computer Consulting
MCP W2K
glen@johnsoncomputers.us

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884
"Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
we ought to know a little about everything."
Blaise Pascal

 

[michaylukr]

You might want to look at the following Technet article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;325919