Windows 7 Unable to switch NICs in Netowk settings

[SAngeli]

I need help setting up properly my NICs on windows 7. This is what happens:

I have a PC (Asus A8-N SLI Deluxe) with two embeded NICs both GigaBit.
Unfortunately one of the two does not have the correct driver (unavailable because the Mobo is old) and it allows me to select up to 100 Mbps Full Duples.
Rather I wish to set it up to go up to 1 Gb. This is not possible.
I have even tried to install a windows vista x64 driver but nothing done.

My current Config is:
NIC #1 (nVidia nForce 4 Controller) = wired, configured and recognized as Domain Netowrk with static IP
NIC #2 (Marvell Yukon 88E8001/8003/8001 PCI Gigabit Ethernet) = unplugged and not configured

NIC #2 has the correct and most updated driver and allows me to set it up manually up to 1 Gb.

If I switch roles, implementing this setting it never works and my PC is isolated from the Internet.
NIC #1 unplugged and not configured
NIC #2 wired, configured and recognized as Domain Netowrk.

This is what I get (similar case) = Link Removed - Invalid URL
where UIUCnet is my NIC #1 and Unidentified Network is my NIC #2

Can someone please help me out trying to implement my second configuration being NIC #2 up and running and NIC #1 unplugged?

To me this is a quite simple step. I should be able to choose which NIC to choose, even because I can disable one of each from BISO, but for
some strange reason my second configuration NEVER worked.

Please let me know..

Thanks a lot,
Spiro

 

[Trouble]

SAngeli:
Hello and welcome to the forums.
First guess would be that whatever you are using upstream, (router?, switch?) is either incapable of handling a gigabit connections or having issues with autonegotiating speed and duplex. First step would be to preconfigure the problem NIC with 100 half, and see if the problem goes away.
Second guess, really more question than answer, where did you get the Static IP address mentioned here

wired, configured and recognized as Domain Netowrk with static IP

The reason I ask, is because of the mention of domain and if a domain administrator gave you an IP to use for your machine, then he probably wrote down the MAC address of the card you were using and has the two associated somewhere in a mac filter white list.
These types of questions are sometimes difficult to answer as there is no way to actually see what your network environment actually is so sometimes we just throw a bunch of pasta at the wall and see what sticks, so the second answer maybe way off, but since you mentioned a domain environment I thought I would include that as being worth a look. This is a windows 7 machine we're talking about correct? Pro, Enterprise, Ultimate?

 

[SAngeli]

Thank you for your reply.

I am the Network Admin so I know what and how IP are managed.
Here is my Network Topology.
I have a CISCO Router 877 that acts as DHCP.
I use static IP on all my PC so there is no issue with MAC address.
I use a HP ProCurve 1800 24G switch.

The problem is my driver for my first NIC. When I enter the driver configuration I am not allowed to bump it up to 1GB. All I can go is 100 Mbps Full Duples and all works fine so far.
I want to switch NIC. Rather than using my first NIC I wish to use my second NIC where at the driver level I can select 1000 Mbps Full Duplex.
My switch support all kind of settings, so I would doubt but do not know if there is anything else perhaps on my CISCO Router. That I know I do not think so.

What confuses me is that if I disable from BIOS my first NIC and live only my second NIC still I am unable to access the Network and have it as Unidentified Network.

Just to ask and aside from this issue, in a network environmet where I have: DSL -> CISCO ROUTER -> Windows Server 2008 R2 with DNS services and AD DC how would I implement IP assignoment and mapping to MAC addresses so that nobody can plug a PC and make up an IP and be present in my network, without relying on my Windows server? I wish to find a solution (perhaps linux) where it is microsoft indipendent.

Thanks,
Spiro

 

[Trouble]

OK, first let's address that actual issue that you started with. I know, at least in 2003 when my Cisco CCNA expired, that in all Cisco managed switch environments, if you choose to set the speed and duplex for any device plugged into a Cisco Managed Switch manually, then you also must also set the speed and duplex manually on the switch port that that device is using to match the speed and duplex or else you will have problems with duplex mismatch issues. Don't know but will assume that HP ProCurve may very well have similar requirements.

 

[SAngeli]

Hi,

if possible let's start with the issue why I am unable to switch NICs.

As for ProCurve I have it set to Autosense and can set it to whatever I wish but this is NOT the issue.
For easy task I will set my NIC to Auto so this does not become the issue.

Why am I not being able to switch between NICS?????

thanks,
Spiro

 

[Trouble]

Hi,

if possible let's start with the issue why I am unable to switch NICs.

As for ProCurve I have it set to Autosense and can set it to whatever I wish but this is NOT the issue.
For easy task I will set my NIC to Auto so this does not become the issue.

Why am I not being able to switch between NICS?????

thanks,
Spiro

As I was suggesting in my original answer, there seems to be an issue with Windows 7 and certain drivers of certain gigabit network interface cards and their combined ability to autonegotiate / autosense speed and duplex settings, with any number of switches or routers with switch ports.
Often you may be able to resolve this particular issue with a driver update for the NIC itself or a firmware upgrade to the upstream device. But manually setting the speed and duplex on the NIC will sometimes resolve the problem, but because you have a managed switch you may have to set it at both ends (nic and switch port).
So setting both to auto may just drop you back into the original problem of the NIC being unable to communicate with the switch port. A common indicator of this issue is often presented when the NIC is set to use DHCP and will fail to acquire a proper IP address and resorts to an APIPA address instead. An ipconfig /all will often bring back a message something to the effect that the device was unable to contact a DHCP server (or something similar). But since you are using static address assignments you won't see this issue present as such.

 

[SAngeli]

I see.
So what do you advice me to do other than speed setings?

Spiro

 

[Trouble]

Set the speed and duplex for the NIC at 100 half and the same on the switch port that the device is using and see if the problem persists. If it seems to work ok, then experiment with other settings 100 full, 1000 half, 1000 full. Remembering to effect the exact same changes on both ends and test.

 

[Trouble]

Regarding you other question as to mac address filtering and dhcp. You might want to consider using the Domain Controller as your DHCP server and employing the Mac Filter Call Out dynamic link library for 2003 and 2008 server. See this article.
How to Filter MAC Address with Windows Server 2003/2008 DHCP Server Callout DLL