Master Browser not multihomed, but using Intel teaming

I know you cannot configure a master browser server with more than one NIC because browsing problems will occur. I am having problems which look like multihomed master browser problems.

I have an Intel dual-port NIC in the server, which is a WINS and an Active Directory PDC running Windows Server 2003, but both adapters are teamed (Adaptive Load Balancing), so logically there is only one interface on the network, but both ports are connected to the same switch.

Does this count as multihomed? More specifically, does it matter whether the adapters are teamed or not as far as master browser functions are concerned?

I do this on all my servers. No the team is seen as one device with one ip address. This has never been a issue with master browser.

What exactly is the issue you are dealing with?

I'm more than familiar with adapter teaming; I've worked with it for years and I am a CCNA. The reason why it's an issue now is a particular network has only a few servers, and one of the domain controllers is also a file server (hence the adapter teaming).

So yes, logically, there is ONE adapter on the network. I know the master browser uses MAC addresses for registration, and I'm wondering if teaming multiple adapters makes no difference to the master browser: is the browser still seeing the two physical adapters and not the one logical interface?

I may not be explaining my situation correctly. I did perform a test because I wasn't sure if this issue was too complex for DevShed (no offense) -- I took the Intel adapters out and replaced them with single adapters. The event logs don't report and browser/directory problems anymore. So I guess problem solved, but I still want to know if teamed adapters affect master browser operations.

Interesting. You can put a locally administered address in for the teams mac address but I never have.

I also have run adapter teaming for years. Starting with a NT domain and multiple BDC's. Now in addition to the NT domain [legacy apps] I have a W2K domain with two DCs and two member servers running Citrix.

I run gigabit fiber cards going to a Nortel 8010 Passport switch. Perhaps the switch you have is causing the issue?
I know the following article only relates to NT but its food for thought
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;224131

Quite honestly I have never heard of master browser being registered by mac address. Where did you get that info from? My experience it has always been by name not mac. Even the rules of election - OS version - length of time up - name of computer - don't involve the network interface.

Even MS's article on the browser service
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;188001
makes no mention of mac address. Nor does the browstat utility from the resource kit give any indication of mac registered.

All I can tell you is in my experience I have never seen a mac address associated with a browser issue.

When you compare your issue to the multihomed one are you saying you are getting incomplete browse lists? On the server or the clients?

You may want to consider the old trick of setting isdomainmaster in the registry to true [which for the pdc emulator should already be set] and any others competing and winning the election set to false.

The article I read was this: http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;EN-US;191611. I guess I got confused about the MAC address part, but still, the article described problems associated with multiple NICs. Sorry if I've confused you; I'm a networking guy more than I'm a server guy.

Well, I just checked my event log to make sure the errors have stopped, and I found one. It's event 8003, and goes like this:
MURCURY is a Windows XP client. Evidently I can place the dual NICs back in the servers, because the problem persists. And yes, this server is set as the master browser (default configuration). The server is connected to a properly configured Cisco Catalyst 2926 with no wierd settings.

I have lots more information, but I don't know what all I should say all at once. By the way, I can tell you're interested in helping, and I really appreciate that.

This is a standard informational message. It is meant as a heads up that another station is requesting an election as to who is master browser.

Every time a server starts up is comes up arrogant. "I am the master browser!" it declares. Then the master broswer says " Hold on bud I am the master browser. Whats you talking about! Here are my credencials. Whats yours?"

They call it an election but its really a yelling match. Its over quickly and they shut up but a log entry is always generated.

Something to watch for, and I have seen this, is if you start seeing elections taking place but you haven't rebooted any servers. This can be due to network congestion or intermittent failure of a nic/ cable short/ or switch port. I had a Token Ring MAU do this once with only a single bad port.

Yeah, but it happens often. And when I check the WINS databases on both WINS servers, one server (the PDC) shows the client machine as the master browser, and the other server shows the PDC as the master browser.

Diagnostics on the switching module show everything's fine. I put the dual NICs back in and set up ALB. I also uninstalled WINS from both servers last night, and then re-installed (one at a time). Everything is fresh, so we'll see what happens...

I would suspect each is master for a particular transport. This is also why I mentioned the intermittent nic failure.

easiest fix is disable the client machine from being a browse master. You should be able to set as backup only or disabled.