Network Traffic Problem

I have 10 Windows XP Clients, 1 Windows 2000 Advanced Server configured as a domain controller, 1 Windows 2000 Advanced Server with SQL Server 7.0 installed and 1 Windows 2000 Workstation.

Here is the problem:

When the Win2000 workstation logs on in the morning and gets into the system, everyone else slows to almost a complete stop. If I unplug the Domain Controller after she logs on, everyone else speeds back up. If the domain controller is not plugged in the win2000 workstation can't log on. This is a serious problem and I can't figure out why the network would slow. My Domain Controller is the only machine with a 10 MBPS ethernet card. The SQL server sits outside the domain in a workgroup.

My boss is really ****** off because this has been going on for weeks now.

Please Help,

Thanks,

Stiltz

 

Do you have the network settings configured properly? i.e. DNS is configured for your domain controller, WINS settings (if any). 13 systems may be a little too much for a 10Mb network. Consider putting in a 100 / 10 Mb switch. A switch will control some flooding.
Does she have a roaming profile on the Windows 2000 system? If so, what size is that profile? If the size is too large, it could flood the network. I would consider removing the roaming profile, or limit its size.

 

DNS is setup on the DC correctly. No roaming profiles at all. This is why I'm stumped. I completely destroyed DNS twice and reinstalled it. WINS is running fine along with Active Directory. If I can't come up with a solution by friday, I'm just going to use norton ghost and upgrade the machine to XP also. The switch is 100 MBPS only the NIC in the DC is 10 MBPS.

I've looked for virus activity, installed windows updates and run ad-aware daily.

Do I upgrade windows and install a new nic?

 

I think the best next step is to look at the packets the problem PC is sending over the network. Time to get a packet sniffer in. There is a basic one built into Microsoft Server Operating systems. Win2003 has the "Network Monitor" (which you have to add as an optional Windows component) and I believe 2000 server has the same.

However, I'd be tempted to do it at the client and use Ethereal which is an open source packet sniffer. You can uninstall it when you've sorted the problem. Install Ethereal (or similar) on the Win 2000 workstation and do a capture over the logon process. Then look at the packets passing over the network from that machine. I expect the problem you are describing will show up as a lot of repetition of similar packets. You may well get an idea of what the problem is from the information you get from the capture. On the other hand, using the data you retrieve to update the information on this forum, should give us a better idea of the nature of you problem.