ML350 G9 No Network after rebooting

[Andre Southgate]

We have 2012r2 installed on a ML350G9. It's a single server setup, and it's our DC and DNS Server.

For a long time it's taken around 1 hour to restart.

Initially, the issue was that the server would sit at Applying Computer Settings for a long time, then you'd get your login prompt could RDP to the server and then login quickly.  In the process of troubleshooting, I did DCDIAG, fixed the issues, then ran DCDIAG DNS Test, and fixed the issues with that. I also made the http service reliant on the CRYPTSVC service in line with a proposed solution to this issue (I did this first and it didn't fix the issue). As part of the troubleshooting DNS issues, I disabled all of the 3 NICs on the server which aren't in use.

Now the issue is that instead of sitting at applying settings, it gets to the login page quite quickly, and once you login it sits 'applying user settings' for around 40 minutes.

One thing I believe is new, is that at the inital login screen there is a yellow exclamation sign over the network icon, and when I click on it a panel opens to the right and shows 'no available connections'.

Event logs show after initital boot and login, there is a 40 minute pause where no new event logs are generated, then the next event log shows Network Location Service starts.  I read that potentially that could be a problem because the NLA is reliant on the DNS Service. I saw a suggestion to make NLA dependent on DNS Service, but I am not sure that is the actual issue if the server can't find the connections at all on first boot.

Since the yellow Icon issue appeared, I can't RDP to the server till it finishes login, previously I could as soon as the server booted. Workstations can ping and access drives from the server even though I can't RDP to it.

Any bright ideas? At the moment any restart of the server takes an hour and requires someone to ILO to the server and login from the Console to get it operational.

The NIC drivers on the server are dated 2016, but I believe they are broadcom drivers and the latest I could find for 2012r2 are from 2016?

[TVVJ]

Hello,

You may download the latest versions of NIC driver from the HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen9 Server's Drivers and Software page.

If the NIC is from non-HPE, then please contact the vendor for software assistance.

You may give a try re-installing the operating system afresh, ensure that correct drivers are installed and then configure it once again.

Regards,

[BPSingh]

Greetings!

Please advise if there is any further information required.