Step 2: Verify the Transport Protocol Status

If the physical network appears to be functioning properly, the next step is to determine whether the various computers on the network can "see" each other from the perspective of a transport protocol. Most transport protocol applications include a connectivity test tool that can be used to verify connectivity at the transport level between a client and the server over the network.

If you cannot reach a server machine from a particular client with the ping command, then neither will that client computer be able to connect to the server. If you cannot ping a server from several client computers, then one of the following conditions may be present: the server is not running, the transport protocol is not running, or there is a configuration problem that is disrupting network connectivity.

Review the recommendations in your transport protocol software documentation. If appropriate, continue with the procedures described later in this section on assessing the status of the NetBIOS protocol and SunLink Server software.