BUG: Wrong Error Code on NetBIOS Call When Using NWNBLNK

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.51 and 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51 and 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you are using an application that communicates using NetBIOS and uses NWLink as a protocol, the application may report incorrect error messages. The errors indicate that the server application is not running although you can confirm the server is running.

CAUSE

When a client application uses NCBCALL to connect to a remote server application there are several possible error conditions. One is when the server application does not currently accept new connections (error code NRC_REMTFUL, 0x12) and another error is when the application name the client looks for is not registered on the remote computer (error code NRC_NOCALL, 0x14).

NWLink returns NRC_NOCALL for both cases so the client assumes the remote computer does not have the server application running, whereas NRC_REMTFUL indicates that a new connection attempt can be made later.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K