I'm just familiar enough with networking to be dangerous.:lol: I'm working on a Point of Sale PC. The MB and PSU were fried, No surge protector on the plug. I was told by the POS software company that replacing the exact same PC and installing the original hard drive in it will bring it back to the same status. I found the same exact Lenovo model 8808 in an off lease sale. Put the drive in and I'm getting stumped after 3 days of playing with a network fault. The POS Software support wants $250 for the first hour of support. I'd like to save the customer that expense as a last resort. The OS is Windows XP. It's a 3 station system. DBSERVER, TERMINAL A and TERMINAL B. TERMINAL B is the replacement unit. All 3 will connect to the internet. I've diagnosed the new PC hardware 2 times, its fine. And the Bios on the TERMINAL B replacement was configured to match TERMINAL A exactly. All 3 are set on the same workgroup. Net Framework is updated. I do have a device manager driver fault on an "other" (unnamed) device in the network category with properties details showing it as an "ACPI\atm1200". Searching for drivers for that device was futile!! Even identifying the device is impossible. Tried every identifier known. ACPI should be a power management device ... right?? Or am I wrong there? The receipt printer has a serial to LAN/Cat5 converter plug at the PC for a connection. A serial to LAN driver is installed. But I can't see where that device would possibly be the "Other" device without a driver?? I removed it and the credit card reader USB connector to see if the device fault would go away. It did not. Check Network feature shows: ____HOST _________IP_________STATUS___ DBSERVER .......... 205.1.1.1 ...... Green Flag TERMINAL A ....... 205.1.1.2 ...... Green Flag TERMINAL B ....... 205.1.1.3 ...... Stop Sign Fault window on TERMINAL B at POS software start: The DBSERVER is running and the check network shows its connected. And TERMINAL A and DBSERVER will share POS operations. System diagnostic notes on the POS software screen at DBSERVER has: I'm hoping one of you networking GURU's can help??
Dan make sure the old PC doesn't have a software key in one of the USB ports or serial ports. This sounds like it's looking at the sid or looking for the software key. A lot of these POS systems have a software key. Are they using quickbooks or some other POS system?
Dan, What network protocols are running...anything besides TCP/IP? Also, on the DBSERVER that the Terminal B is trying to connect to... does it require the MAC address to be registered with it to authenticate the connection?
I wonder if he could flush those tables on the AP or switch...surely the DB will not register a MAC would it? But these software companies are so tired of being ripped for licenses it just may.
Flushing the tables definitely something to consider. As for using the MAC to authenticate....yeah.....they'll do that kinda stuff to lock down access as much as possible on a POS.
Thanks for the quick responses! No software keys unless that LAN to Serial converter is also a key? It has no label or descriptions on it so most likely it's not a key?? And it is only a data connection from PC to receipt printer. Most PC's only have one ethernet connection 'on board'. And I think they use that serial because of that. The ethernet port is connected to the network hub/switch. It's just TCP/IP running. I'll check the MAC. It also has a WAN # in the network check?? Is it connecting to the software company through that?? Talked to a food services rep I know about an hour ago. He said check those peripherals (card reader / printer) for operation by moving a working set to that machine. He said some POS's have to have both of them working (hardware diagnostic check at software start up) to respond back to the dbserver. I'll give that a try but I think that's a long shot based on the fault screen messages addressing a connection problem?? Thanks again!
To quote a movie, "Yous guys are da most smartest!!" It's the mac address. It had to be updated by the software provider from their server!! The good thing, they don't charge for that service! Thanks for the help. I owe you one.
