Remoteboot Workstation Cannot Reconnect After Net 808 Errors

• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5
• Microsoft LAN Manager for MS-DOS, version 2.2c

SYMPTOMS

If you are using a diskless remoteboot workstation you cannot regain access to your drive C after the following network error appears:

   Net 808: Incorrect response from network

• Your workstation boots from a Windows NT 3.5 remoteboot server.
• Your workstation is running LAN Manager for MS-DOS, version 2.2c.
• Your workstation has at least one network connection to your remoteboot server in addition to the drive C connection.
• Your remoteboot server has the AutoDisconnect parameter set to a value of greater than zero.
• Your server's AutoDisconnect timer expired for your drive C connection.

CAUSE

There are two causes:

• Your remoteboot server incorrectly auto-disconnects your drive C without disconnecting your other network connection to the remoteboot server.
• When you attempt to reconnect to your drive C, your workstation uses your computer remoteboot startup credentials (the computer name), instead of your logon name and password credentials.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, upgrade to Windows NT version 3.51 or obtain the fix mentioned below.

To work around this problem:

• Set AutoDisconnect to a greater value on the remoteboot server. However, this only reduces the frequency of the problem; it does not eliminate it. To change the AutoDisconnect time value, type:

        net config server /autodisconnect:<time>
  

  where <time> is a number in the range of -1 to -65535 minutes. The default value for AutoDisconnect is 15, not -1 as stated in Help.

  -or-

• Set AutoDisconnect to -1 to never disconnect. This may not be a feasible option depending on how many remoteboot workstations you have per server.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.5. A fix to this problem is in development, but has not been regression-tested and may be destabilizing in production environments. Microsoft does not recommend implementing this fix at this time. Contact Microsoft Product Support Services for more information on the availability of this fix.

MORE INFORMATION

A diskless workstation can have two sets of credentials for connections to the remoteboot Windows NT server.

When your workstation boots, it establishes a connection to the remoteboot server using the workstation name as its user ID to get permission for downloading its network software. This connection becomes your drive C.

After booting, you log on using the second set of credentials, that is your user name and password, and establish connections using these credentials to shared directories on the remoteboot server (with the Net Use command, etc.). For example, you may connect drive H to your home directory located on the remoteboot server.

If the remoteboot server has an AutoDisconnect setting of 15 minutes and your workstation maintains network activity on drive H, but generates no network traffic for 15 minutes on the remoteboot connection to your drive C, the server disconnects drive C, but leaves drive H connected. As a result you get the unrecoverable Net 808 error mentioned above when your workstation attempts to access its disconnected drive C.