Continuing problem with "Offline Files" disconnecting

[Cornucopia]

Hi All,

You all know I'm a longtime contributer, but I'm not often the one ASKING the questions. Well here's a doozy that I wanted to ask here because I haven't found much help doing Web searches for:

[Scenario]
Single AD Domain LAN on single subnet
3x Windows 2003 R2 servers:
A. DC (PDC?), DNS server, DHCP server, File server, Certificate server, DFS server, Profile server, multi-homed
B. WINS server, SQL Application server, Print server, File server, single-homed
C. DC, File server, Streaming server multi-homed

...Also 2 linux servers (audit server using OpenAudit) and Jabber server (for Internal IM) still in testing phase

~50-80 Windows XP SP3 32bit workstations
~6 Windows 7 SP1 64bit workstations

All SHOULD be up-to-date with updates & service packs, all members of the domain using GP & Login scripts (except 2 Netbooks still unconverted from XP Home, used offsite)

*Using Roaming Profiles for all but Administrator accounts, using CSC (Offline Files caching) AND Folder Redirection.

[Problem]
Servers keep being seen periodically (but RANDOMLY) as OFFLINE. This makes some files revert to using the offline version (requiring synchronization) and others that DON'T have CSC enabled makes them unavailable.
Affects between 5 and 25 of the XP machines (haven't witnessed it on the Win7 machines yet, but they're brand new). Doesn't seem to be affecting the Servers (with each other).
Varies wildly by amount of time "offline". One or two end up being nearly PERMANENTLY "offline".
This is even though you can PING the server, Remote Desktop the server.
The same machine that might only OCCASIONALLY get it with one profile will get it OFTEN with another profile.

[What's been tried]
1. Re-Initialize & clean out the Offline Folders cache and remove old profiles
2. Rebooting
3. Setting server Autodisconnect = -1 (aka NEVER)
4. Allow but don't require SMB certificate handshake5.
5. Allowing Remote Desktop, Remote Access, MS Client, and File & Printer sharing through Firewall
6. (on some) adding workstation regedit setting KeepConn=600seconds to lanmanworkstation key
7. (EDITED/ADDED) make sure nic cannot power down/sleep

[What I haven't tried that I know about but am skittish of trying]
1. changing server regedit setting that uses SMB v2 as default
2. Deleting & recreating possibly corrupted profiles

Pretty sure it is NOT hardware related, nor due to virus.

Any other suggestions/comments?

(ADDED) Q: Does having multihomed servers exacerbate this problem?

All knowledgeable info will be greatly appreciated...

TIA,
Scott

[aedipuss]

make sure that smb2 is disabled on all capable machines including the win7 comps. by default smb2 will be used over smb1 and can screw up the xp boxes that can't use it. i'd check that all comps use only ascii characters in their network names also.

[Cornucopia]

1. Net names all in the form of XXX#### (agency initials plus 4 digit serial #), except servers which are short "nicknames". CHECK!

2. Ok, so DISABLE SMB2 in favor of SMB1, correct? If so, will do. On the servers only? or both Srv + Wrkst?

Would this in any way be an interaction with some Cert. or CAL concurrent access limits?

Scott

[aedipuss]

i'd disable smb2 on servers and workstations as it will default back if two smb2 comps "talk" to each other and some comps may get excluded from the loop.

Cert. or CAL concurrent access limits? - not unless the PDC is being asked to service more than it's client limit. i'd check to make sure the PDC is also acting as the master server browser as it should. try a nbtstat -a pdc_name - if it is there should be _msbrowse_ in the return.

[Cornucopia]

It had been having trouble maintaining MasterBrowser status. Ultimately, this seemed to also point to problems with multihomed servers.

So I disabled the 2nd NIC on the servers and corrected all the corresponding DNS entries and BOOM! problem solved!

Though your suggestions were not the exact, direct solution, aedipuss, they still corroborated what I was thinking and helped point me toward the solution! Way to go.

Scott

[Bjs]

Master browser service been a right pain for us with paid wifi ... we get users to disable this feature on their systems as it cause's the nortel bcm and the adminstration system to grind even halt.