Logging in quickly after booting fails with "The tree or server cannot be found", 0xC7FD0028 or 0x800789FC

  • Document ID:7006626
  • Creation Date:12-Aug-2010
  • Modified Date:20-Dec-2016
    • Micro Focus Products:
      Client for Open Enterprise Server (Novell Client)

Environment

Novell Client for Microsoft Vista
Novell Client for Microsoft 2008
Novell Client for Microsoft Windows 7

Situation

  • Using autologin or attempting to login quickly after bootup (e.g. Immediately after the Novell login dialogue appears) intermittently returns the one or more of the following errors
    • Login Failed.  Error code:  0xC7FD0028
    • Login Failed.  Error code:  0x800789FC
    • Novell Security Message - The system could not log you into the network.  Make sure your name and connection information are correct, then type your password again.
    • The tree or server cannot be found.  Choose a different tree or server.  Would you still like to try to log in to Windows?
  • Logging in again after several seconds will be successful

Resolution

Fixed in Novell Client 2 SP1 for Windows (IR6). If, after applying (IR6) or later, you still experience this problem, set the following registry value, which sets a 900-second "boot hold down time":
 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Novell\Login]
"Max Retries Boot Threshold"=dword:00000384
If setting the "Max Retries Boot Threshold" resolves the problem, adjust the value downward to avoid unnecessary delays. A value of 120 seconds (dword:00000078) may be adequate.
 
For more information about this setting, see the "Additional Information" section, below.

Workaround: 
Wait a few seconds and log in again.

Additional Information

The Novell Client employs a "boot hold down time" relative to the Windows startup process.  If the Windows "up time" is less than a specific number of seconds, the Client will wait until the Windows up time crosses that threshold, or until the redirector reports having one or more networks available, whichever comes first.

The default "boot hold down time" is implemented as 65 seconds. This value can be configured, in seconds, as a DWORD value "Max Retries Boot Threshold" under [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Novell\Login].

The intention is that a longer wait for network interfaces to arrive is warranted if Windows is still in the process of booting up.

e.g. If the redirector reports no networks are available, but Windows has been running for less than 65 seconds, the Novell Client will continue to wait for the redirector to report having networks available, until Windows has been running for 65 seconds.  Once Windows has been running for 65 seconds or more, the Novell Client will only wait up to the normal "Max Retries" time period (5 seconds).

Prior to IR6, the condition which typically resulted in 0xC7F00028 was that a kernel-mode name resolution request could be initiated prior to the Novell XTSVCMGR.EXE service being fully started and initialized, and would return 0xC7FD0028 if XTSRVMGR.EXE wasn't ready.  With IR6, the kernel-mode name resolution request will detect whether XTSVCMGR.EXE still isn't ready to receive requests, and will block for up to 65 seconds /since the machine started/ waiting for XTSVCMGR.EXE.
 
e.g. If Windows has been running for 45 seconds and a name resolution request detects that XTSVCMGR.EXE still hasn't been started, Novell Client will wait for up to 20 seconds for XTSVCMGR.EXE to start before giving up with 0xC7F00028.  We do want to eventually give up, since if the service was intentionally disabled for some troubleshooting reason, or in the worst case scenario has crashed, we don't want the machine to be waiting indefinitely for the XTSVCMGR.EXE service to startup.