NIC card error in Event Log - read below

[Italo Arbulu]

Once in a while the server logs an error like the one below for the NIC card located in Slot 2. Is this error an error that can cause the server to shutdown and crash? It has happened over 20 times since August, but the NIC seems fine. What can I do to prevent this from occuring and cause distress?

Any support greatly appreciated. Error in System Log, please read below:

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Compaq NIC Agent: Connectivity has been lost for the NIC in slot 2, port 1. [SNMP TRAP: 18002 in CPQNIC.MIB]
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[CA845876]

The first thing I'd suggest is to try to determine whether the problem is in the physical link, or somewhere higher up in the network stack.

If you have Windows 2000, try running perfmon, and watching for dropped packets, errors, etc. on the network interface. Depending on your NIC, your might have Intel ProSet, HP Set, or some Insight Manager or TopTools way of watching the card. If it's dropping a lot of packets, look for analog trouble, like poor grounding, flaky or too long cables, etc.

Anything can make a server shutdown and crash, but my totally uninformed opinion is that this error is not particularly damaging to your hardware or OS - no more than if you walked up to the back of the server and unplugged and replugged the RJ-45. The LAN has some amount of resilience to this kind of thing. However, if the NIC connectivity is lost permanently or for a long time, you no longer have a server, of course.