Help with network error?

[Syclone1]

Were trying to render a job on our farm here and have been plagued recently with an error which appears to be random accross the slaves, BB is reporting the error "Network name no longer avaliable" we have 7 slaves here running win2k with all the windows, max and BB updates and the manager is a XP Pro box running all the same updates and plugins.

Anyone know how to get around this if possible?

Thanks in advance,

-dave

[EricKlein]

you could check the 10 connection limit on the XP manager machine...this could cause random drops.

1. right click on "my computer' on the manager's desktop
2. select 'manage'
3. click on 'shared folders'
4. click on 'sessions'
5. you can select the sessions and disconnect them, and then see how many hook back up when you render...if you go over access will be limited.

your option would be installing windows server on the manager machine.
e.

[jujubee]

You are rendering on the same machine which stores textures. Turn the DR off on that machine and see what happens. If this fixes the problem, I request a nice 24" Dell monitor for only $700. Thank you.

[Syclone1]

were not using DR on that box, this is an animation of about 5000 frames...

-dave

[jujubee]

Well, I've got my hosts files edited on ALL my machines:

path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

localhost 127.0.0.1
computer1 192.168.1.32
computer2 192.168.1.34

etc...

I've also disabled 'Enable LMHosts Lookup' under TCP/IP properties and 'Simple file sharing' under '\tools\folder options\view' within regular explorer windows.

[jacksc02]

syclone, are you using fixed IP addresses or are they being automatically assigned?

[Syclone1]

The IP addys are assigned, Ill look in to the lmhosts file but theres alot we cant do here cause of the IT (*#$@.

I may push to have the maps and scenes moved to one of the corporate servers, unfortunately the network is painfully slow here also.

-dave

[meanadam]

Yes. It is the server load? Locks up the network for about 15 mins?

Did you upgrade to 1000 base e-net lately? And the server is on 100 base?

I believe this is a jumbo frames error. If you have a managed switch you should be able to turn off jumbo frames. Otherwise ..... hosed.

I am having this issue this very second. Reading my fav web board while the network is locked up.

Edit: My solution was a $900 Dell sever 2003 machine that is still in process of being set up (no time to set it up cause i am sitting around trying to get renders to work on a locked up network... grrrr). I think this will solve the network traffic issues (1000 base - faster machine, etc) and the potential IP limit as we now move past the 10 machines in the office.

[jujubee]

I don't see anywhere where this is related to Jumbo-frames. Ususally that isn't enabled by default. It will speed up transfers but I've experienced synchronization issues on adapters that support Jumbo Packets and those that don't.

EDITED: "Ususally that isn't enabled by default."

[Syclone1]

Everything I look in to points to a connection limit issue, were still on 100BT here cause IT is completely ignorant to what we need, case in point our corp office accross town is being outfitted with 1000BT and its all accounting and admin stuff there and I can see their need for it as those 20kb word docs can cause havok on the network, not like the 50mb to 500mb files our building runs in R&D with autocad, solidworks, max files...

YES Im pissed and to make it worse the network gets bogged down big time durring the day here and slows down to close to 10BT

-dave

[meanadam]

Could it be then (and for us too as we got a new netgear switch when the problems started) that the switch is timing out and dropping the packets/frames and starting over and over? And it isn't really the 1000 to 100 connection.

The new server machine is still having the same problems. Cheap bisswitch....