The new machines are the only ones that have this intermittent problem.  
However, we did add another OLD machine to the network which also 
exhibited some of the same intermittent connectivity trouble.  All of 
the machines on this LAN are on the same switch, connected to m0n0wall.  
There are about 18 other machines that are on this LAN that are fine.

The reason I mention licensing is because I am dumbfounded and can't 
think of anything else.  I am actually not certain how to even verify 
the licensing for Exchange systems (other than i know this network is 
per seat, not server based), but because a few new machines (not 
accounts, machines) have this problem I am reduced to grasping at 
straws.  However, there are no errors other than one or two users of 
these machines (not all of them) at a time have this problem - how do I 
verify if it might be related to a licensing problem or not?

I am inclined to blame Microsoft, because I seem to have these sorts of 
problems often whenever I am forced to deal with Exchange and Outlook - 
unexplainable and annoying problems that mysteriously "go away" when 
something is reinstalled or modified.  But so far this problem has not 
gone away, and it is consistently inconsistent.

There are actually four domain controllers for this network, one of them 
is behind the m0n0wall with the LAN in question and replicating 
properly, and providing DNS.  Right now I have reduced the LAN in 
question to only 1 DNS server, the domain controller on the same LAN, 
since I wanted to remove any potential problems with DNS.  The DNS is 
functioning smooth as silk in every test I have run, and the Exchange 
server is seen solidly on the network even by the machines with 
connectivity issues which ONLY show up in Outlook.

It almost seems like a problem with some flaky AD behavior - if I add a 
different user to the same machine, suddenly they work fine (I don't 
know if they would continue top work fine, though).

Thanks,
Jeff


Jason Collins wrote:
> I am curious -- all of this started after you added the Dell machines with
> the Intel NICs?  You had no problems prior to that event?  If you remove
> them, does the problem go away?  You also mention licensing as a possible
> issue -- what is your license to client ratio -- did you add new seats when
> you brought the dells in?  I'd also be curious to know how your DNS is
> configured.  You might do well to run a backup domain controller on the
> satellite side to handle DNS / AD requests locally if this persists.  I have
> a few clients who run Outlook 2003 cached exchange mode through the safenet
> client to their SBS server, but they've never had problems like this so my
> thoughts are it might be something other than Monowall.
>  
> jason
>  
>  
>
>