Any IT answer people here?Need some help

[dcarr]

My servers are acting screwy at work. Have 2 small compaq running novel groupwise 5 (sucks) waiting for win 2000pro. One server keeps disconnecting from the other. I can usually reboot and get them up and running. but today, servers working ok, yet half my users off. Checked cables, router and hubs, all seem to be operational. I think my next step is to check each individual wire connection to see if theres' a connectivity problems. The half off, are all on the same side of the building, so I think it would be the wire connecting the backbone. Any ideas, thoughts or where to go's?
Usually I'm running smooth, but today too many snags and the end of the year we need access.
Could Novel be the prob? Our licenses are expired and we didn't reup, waiting for 2000. I'm thinking of "borrowing" 2000 until ours arrives, if that will solve the issue. any help is greatly appreciated.

[KevinBE]

Well you've given me more questions than answers. Your servers are running Novell Netware 5.0? Groupwise is an e-mail application. You will need to determine what the down users have in common. Your idea of the backbone connection sounds like a likely suspect. What kind of backbone do you use, are both servers connected to the same HUB? HuBs, switches, and routers are mainly PCs, they may need to be "re-booted" , power cycled. You may have to logically walk the data path out to see where a break in the data stream might happen.

Licensing shouldn't be a problem. I am not aware of user licenses having an expiration under Novell networks, your support contract might have expired but that wont take the system down.

[dcarr]

That takes care of one worry Kevin, thanks

As for the hardware...in common right now..all the same side of the building. Other side working fine. Router - linksys operating.
Hubs 3com "look" like their working. No off, or yellow lights. Need all computers on tomorrow to check connectivity. I'm suspecting cable connections may be the trouble.
Both servers connect to 1 hub, with 4 other connections all working. These are backboned down to main hub.
Second hub 6 conncetions all working. 3rd 6 connections all working 6 connections 4 not working. This should obviously be the problem area,
No problem before today...Hub seems ok, as does main hub. Will have to check individuals to know more.
Know it seems like a lot of hubs for a little bit of stuff, but we are an elementary school, stretched across 2 buildings.
Thanks for the start. If you have any further ideas, just let me know. If I may, I will give you more info when I have it, to pick your brain furter.
Thanks
Debbie

[KevinBE]

Debbie, looks like it may point to a single hub, if I understood what you just told me. I would try to power cycle the hub that has the connections that don't work, hubs sometimes get screwed up like computers do. You are OK on daisy-chaining the hubs as long as you don't go beyond three chained together, I'm assuming that these are hubs and not switches. After the third "hop" the protocal starts to break down because of timing issues. You really shouldn't go beyond 2 hops but on small networks you can get away with lots of things that cripple larger networks.

Hope you are able to get it sorted out in the morning.

[dcarr]

Thanks Kevin, for all your advice Sorted out my server problems this am..Was able to isolate the problem to a misconnected hub. Once I reset the cables and reciycled the hub everything went smooth. Now to find out who's been messin with my cables!!! .
Thanks again
Debbie