KB149803 - Troubleshooting Error 242 When Using DLC 802.2 Link Services

Article ID: 149803

Article Last Modified on 11/18/2004

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft SNA Server 2.0
Microsoft SNA Server 2.1
Microsoft SNA Server 3.0
Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 Service Pack 4
Microsoft SNA Server 4.0

This article was previously published under Q149803

SYMPTOMS

When you start the SNA Server service, you may get the following Error 242 message:

DLC 802.2 Link Service is configured to use NDIS adapter that is not installed.

CAUSE

The error is reporting that a link service that is configured to use a DLC 802.2 Link Service could not find an adapter bound to the driver specified for the Link Service. This message indicates one of the following:

A connection or media problem inserting into the Token Ring network.
A configuration problem with the network adapter.
A hardware problem with the adapter.

WORKAROUND

Error 242 will generally appear when the DLC cannot bind to the adapter specified in the SNA Server DLC 802.2 Link Service Setup dialog. The main reasons for this failure arises out of adapter initialization problems. The following items should be checked to ensure that the network adapter is initializing properly:

The adapter can communicate to any other computer in the network.

The ability to contact another computer on the network clears suspicion from any installation problems with the adapter. If another protocol is proven to work on the card, the DLC should find no hardware problems in the card. If only the DLC is being bound to the adapter (for SNA Server use only), then the Microsoft Windows NT Workstation service and transport (NetBEUI, TCP/IP, etc.) would need to be enabled over this adapter. Use the Bindings dialog box in the Windows NT Network Control Panel to verify that the bindings are enabled in order to test network connectivity. Otherwise, install a LAN protocol and enable its bindings to the network card.

If this works properly, the adapter should not be suspect. Check the System Event Log to verify other reasons why the card appears not to be correctly binding. If the computer is multihomed, make sure that the connection to the host can be made using the affected adapter by disconnecting the other adapter from the network. If a Token Ring connection problem exists (due to a bad cable, bad port on the MAU or hub, mismatched Token Ring link speed, etc.), NetBEUI will report an error in the Windows NT system event log indicating a problem with the adapter.

A duplicate Token Ring adapter address exists in the Token Ring network.

Therefore, the adapter cannot be inserted into the ring. Some Token Ring adapter drivers will report specific errors referring to problems inserting into the ring; unfortunately, some will not. The event log number will vary on an adapter to adapter basis. For example, an Olicom Token Ring card will return the following:
Event ID:5
Could not open adapter OcTk1601. Duplicate node address.
Source: "OcTk16" | "OcTk32" (depending on the adapter installed)
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
122933 Event Viewer Messages for the Olicom Network Card
Some adapters will return protocol related events that will reference the adapter. IBM's 16/4 Token Ring Adapter, for example, returns a message related to protocol failure.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
121070 Duplicate Locally Administered Address Can Cause Event 9006
The adapter's factory set address could be overridden by using a locally administered address. Different adapters will have different ways of providing a locally administered address. Some cards will use Registry parameters, while some cards will have an option in the driver configuration to provide a locally administered address. Reference your particular adapter's documentation for details.
The driver may have failed to initialize for the adapter because of configuration problems.

Problems with mismatched drivers or adapters that are not configured correctly will prevent the adapter from initializing correctly. Most instances involve a driver.

Three particular situations have been isolated by Microsoft. However, there may be other reasons; this is just a partial list.

If you see messages regarding driver initialization problems not discussed, see your adapter's documentation, or see the most recent information on the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com.
1. An initialization problem occurs with the 3Com 3c59x.sys because the driver does not reset the adapter on Windows NT shutdown. When Windows NT restarts, the driver is not able to locate the NIC. A Service Control Manager event will warn that it was unable to start the adapter.
  
  For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  139179 3C0M 3C59X.SYS Driver Fails to Initialize in Windows NT 3.51
2. The Oemsetup.inf file for the IBM Auto 16/4 Token Ring adapter driver (Ibmtok4.sys) does not add a required value in the Windows NT registry properly, causing Service Control Manager to report event 7000s in the event log.
  
  For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  137505 IBM 16/4 Auto Token Ring Adapter Driver Causes Event ID 7000
A problem occurs when the Madge Smart 16/4 AT Plus Ringnode Token Ring adapter is configured for Normal software operating mode. This token ring adapter has two software operating modes: Normal mode and AT mode. By default, the adapter is set to Normal mode, and if the adapter is used in Normal mode, you can only use the drivers shipped with the Madge Token Ring adapter. If the adapter is used in AT mode, you can use previous versions of the drivers, and the Madge configuration software cannot override the I/O base address, Ring Speed, and SmartROM switch settings. The Service Control Manager will return errors related to not being able to stop the network adapter.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
128801 Madge Smart 16/4 AT Plus Ringnode Token Ring Adapter Fails

For additional information about problems activating the SNA Server service, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

110582 SNA Server Service Stays Inactive When Started

Additional query words: prodsna 2.0 2.1 2.11 3.0 3.5 3.51

Keywords: kbnetwork KB149803