network problems?

Question

We're using a file server Dual Intel P4 Xeon with 2Gb RAM, 600Gb HDD in a RAID-0 SATA with 2 - 1Gb ethernet cards. The IP on the cards are 198.168.1.12 and 192.168.1.17 sharing the resources between Mac (OS X) and Windows workstations. The Mac workstations are accessing to the first ethernet card thru a 1Gb switch and the PCs to the other one using a 10/100 switch. During the day few of the PCs are disconnecting from the network and we have to restart it in order to get back with the connection because an error occurs. Sometimes the Macs are very fast but sometimes are too slow I have been improved the packet size on the server but the problem remains. Any ideas?
Thanks

Answer 1

Dump the second NIC. There's no need to have 2 NICs on the same subnet unless you're using a teaming pair. Two NICs on the same subnet will cause exactly the problem that you are experiencing. Either hook all machines to one of the switches or daisy chain the switches together.

I'd also get rid of the RAID-0 drive setup. You have no redundancy with that setup. Add 2 more drives for a RAID-10 if you need all 600 gigs, but you should NEVER use RAID-0 on a server.

Answer 2

Are all of the PC's connected to the 10/100 disconnecting, or just a few of them? If it's just a few, I'd say the NIC's in each could be faulty. Or it could be the cabling as well, try testing it using a wire map.
As well, is it only certain times that the disconnection occurs (like during peek hours) or is it all the time? Assuming you have a router involved, you could always try adding a few access lists to limit the amount of unwanted traffic to see if that helps.

Answer 3

Make the switches the same .

Answer 4

I will try turning off the router when not in use ...