Win2k3 Operation Mode

Hello,

I have a Win2K3 server, running exchange 2003. I am trying to set up a laser steel-cutting machine. This machine is an NT system. Tech support for the machine says that to transfer files to this machine from the server, all I need is to map a shared drive. Sounds simple.

However, I cannot get this machine to communicate with the server. The NIC has link, has passed all its diagnostics, is configured with an appropriate IP, gateway, and subnet mask, and yet STILL cannot ping/be pinged by our server. There is no firewall between these machines.

So, I'm stumped. All my research has lead me to believe that the root cause of this issue is the fact that the server is running in Native mode, which seems to indicate that it cannot communicate with pre-win2K machines. Can anyone confirm this suspicion? If so, is there anything I can do about it? MS Help and Support says that I cannot change the operation mode of the server, but perhaps there's a work-around?

This isn't good. ATM, the users are transferring programs by floppy, which is a burden at the best of times. (the machine DEFINITELY produces some magnetic fields - floppies seem to get corrupted within a short period of use.)

 

Maybe the basic firewall on the Windows 2003 server is configured to ignore ping requests (If so try to disable it):

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/NAT_Windows_2003_Setup_Configuration.html

 

Thanks, but that's not it.