Master browser priority

Hello
One of our customers has a problem with he’s internal network.

When he connects a laptop to the network it seems lock the entire network
down. The other clients cannot connect to the Internet or any other network
connection.

The only error I have found is that the laptop thinks it is a master browser
and have forced an election (Source:MRxSmb Eventid 8003) . It should loose
this election since the client is an WinXP Pro Machine and the server is a
Win 2003smb server .

Now my questions are: Could it be this error that causes the problem on the
network and is there any list anywhere describing the priority between the
Master Browser machines. ( I have a really old list since the beginning of
win2000)

Best Regards
John

"Spejaren" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:
> Hello
> One of our customers has a problem with he's internal network.
>
> When he connects a laptop to the network it seems lock the entire network
> down. The other clients cannot connect to the Internet or any other
> network
> connection.

A virus on the client? Hard to say without knowing exactly why they cannot
connect to the internet or any other network connection. The error you get
would help along with exactly what you are trying to do when you got the
error.
It would help if you described the network with a bit more detail.

>
> The only error I have found is that the laptop thinks it is a master
> browser
> and have forced an election (Source:MRxSmb Eventid 8003) . It should loose
> this election since the client is an WinXP Pro Machine and the server is a
> Win 2003smb server .

This error is common with an incorrect subnet mask on the machine
registering
the error. Yes the Win 2k server should win the election by default but the
XP
machine could have a IsDomainMaster setting of True giving the machine an
edge to become the segment master browser.


>
> Now my questions are: Could it be this error that causes the problem on
> the
> network and is there any list anywhere describing the priority between the
> Master Browser machines. ( I have a really old list since the beginning of
> win2000)


The old list you have still applies. The computer browser service is
an old NT service that hasn't gone away...

The fundamental reason the notebook keeps trying to elect itself as a master
browser is that it can't find another browser in it's broadcast domain
(usually the subnet it is on) or in it's domain/workgroup name.

Is the notebook a member of the same domain as the server?
If the notebook isn't a member of the domain, is it in a workgroup with the
same name as the server's workgroup or domain?
Is the notebook in the same NetBIOS broadcast domain (subnet) as the server?

Election criterea have not changed with the advent of Windows Server 2003 -
with the notable exception that W2k3 computers have now been added to the
Browser scheme. IOW - when elections occur, newer versions of the operating
system "outrank" older ones - but always have anyway. The only exception to
this is when a server is the PDC for a domain - in which case, regardless of
OS version, it will always take the Domain Master Browser role for that
domain and subnet.

-ds

"Spejaren" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:E9175798-E812-4CC2-A6C1-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello
> One of our customers has a problem with he's internal network.
>
> When he connects a laptop to the network it seems lock the entire network
> down. The other clients cannot connect to the Internet or any other
> network
> connection.
>
> The only error I have found is that the laptop thinks it is a master
> browser
> and have forced an election (Source:MRxSmb Eventid 8003) . It should loose
> this election since the client is an WinXP Pro Machine and the server is a
> Win 2003smb server .
>
> Now my questions are: Could it be this error that causes the problem on
> the
> network and is there any list anywhere describing the priority between the
> Master Browser machines. ( I have a really old list since the beginning of
> win2000)
>
> Best Regards
> John
>

> When he connects a laptop to the network it seems lock the entire network
> down. The other clients cannot connect to the Internet or any other
> network
> connection.

I too would need more info on how the network is configured. The problem
might not even be related to the browser service. It could any number of
things, depending on the laptop's configuration.

It almost sounds like the laptop is set up to do Internet Connection
Sharing, and is handing out IP addresses. If the network alsop happens to be
operating in the same IP range, then it's possible that the laptop is being
seen as the default gateway (192.168.0.1), and all the network machines are
sending their packets to it, instead of the real gw.

If the router is cheap, or underpowered, and the laptop is fast, it's
possible that this could be happening. I would also look for signs of IP
address conflicts betweem the router and laptop, but these might not show up
for some reason.

Just a guess though

Oliver