cannot browse the internet from the server

Question

Hello Team,

I have a Windows server 2019 Essential. everything has been working without any issues till recently. I lose internet connectivity. I can remote in to this server and Ping the gateway. But I am not able to login to the router or browse the internet. I get this site cannot be reached. I am able to ping everything and i have the right dns settings in the ip v4 configuration and disabled IPV6. When I reboot the server everything works for a couple of days, then I get the issue.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Jamshid

Answer 1

Hello Jamshid,

Hope you have a lovely day !

From your description, it sounds like your Windows Server 2019 Essential is experiencing intermittent internet connectivity issues, which temporarily resolve upon a reboot. Here are several steps you can take to diagnose and potentially resolve this issue:

1. Check Network Configuration: Ensure your network configuration is correct. This includes verifying your IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS settings. Since you mentioned that you already checked these, let's consider other possibilities.
2. DNS Troubleshooting: Test your DNS resolution by pinging different domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. If you can ping the IP address but not the domain name, there is likely a DNS resolution issue. You can try switching to public DNS servers (like Google's 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) temporarily to see if the issue resolves, which might indicate a problem with the current DNS servers configured.
3. Review System Logs: Check the Event Viewer (especially the System and Application logs) for any warnings or errors that occur around the time the internet connectivity fails. This might give you a clue about network failures or service crashes.

4. Firewall and Security Software: Temporarily disable any firewall or security software to rule out these applications as the cause of your connectivity issues. Sometimes, these programs can block internet access.

5. Update Network Drivers: Ensure that your network card drivers are up to date. You can download the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website. Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause connectivity issues.
6. Check for System Updates: Make sure your Windows Server 2019 Essential is fully updated. Sometimes, Microsoft releases updates that can fix known bugs related to connectivity.
7. Restart Network Services: Sometimes, restarting network services can resolve connectivity issues. You can restart these services by running the following commands in Command Prompt (admin):

net stop dnscache

net start dnscache

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

After running these commands, reboot your server.

8. Network Monitoring: Monitor the network traffic using tools like Wireshark to see if there is any unusual activity when the internet connectivity fails. Check for excessive traffic or failed connections.

1.Go to the website to download the wireshark.

9. Router/Modem Issues: Since rebooting the server temporarily fixes the issue, there might be a problem with the router/modem configuration or firmware. Make sure your router's firmware is up to date, and consider rebooting it when the server loses connectivity to see if the issue is related to the router.
10. Consult with ISP: If none of the above steps work, there might be an intermittent issue with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Contact them to ensure there are no issues or maintenance work in your area that might be affecting your connectivity.

By systematically following these steps, you should be able to pinpoint the cause of the connectivity issues and find a suitable solution. If the problem persists, it might be worth consulting with a professional IT service provider.

Best Regards,

Rosy Yuan

Answer 2

Thank you Rosy for your response and detailed instructions.

1- Done,

2- Done,

3- the errors I see in the system logs ( event id 7023, 1796, 1129, 700, 7009) Application (

4- Modem and router both rebooted

5- Network driver updated.

6- Windows updated.

7- Done

8-, 9, 10 - working on it.

But so far having the same issue? could this be anything to do with OS or recent updates?

Thanks for your help.

Jamshid.

Answer 3

Thank you Rosy for your response and detailed instructions.

1- Done,

2- Done,

3- the errors I see in the system logs ( event id 7023, 1796, 1129, 700, 7009) Application (

4- Modem and router both rebooted

5- Network driver updated.

6- Windows updated.

7- Done

8-, 9, 10 - working on it.

But so far having the same issue? could this be anything to do with OS or recent updates?

Thanks for your help.

Jamshid.

Hi Jamshid,

Thank you for providing an update on the steps you've taken so far to address the issues. It's unfortunate that you're still experiencing the same problem despite the troubleshooting efforts.

Given that you've already performed several troubleshooting steps and the issue persists, it's possible that there could be underlying issues related to the operating system (OS) or recent updates. Here are a few additional steps you can take to further investigate and potentially resolve the issue:

1.Review Recent Updates: Check if there were any recent updates or changes applied to the operating system, applications, or drivers around the time the issue started occurring. Sometimes, updates can introduce compatibility issues or conflicts that result in connectivity problems.

2.System Restore: Consider performing a system restore to revert the system back to a previous state before the issue started occurring. This can help eliminate any recent changes that might be causing the problem.

3. Event Log Analysis: Continue analyzing the system and application logs for any additional error messages or patterns that might provide clues to the root cause of the issue. Look for any recurring events or errors that coincide with the loss of internet connectivity.
4. Event ID 7023:
   • This error typically indicates that a service has terminated unexpectedly. To resolve this, you can try restarting the affected service or checking its dependencies to ensure they are also running properly.
   • Event ID 7023 Error. Computer keeps crashing - Microsoft Community
5. Event ID 1796:
   • This event is related to the domain controller promotion process. It suggests that there might be issues with the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) configuration or promotion process. Ensure that all domain controller prerequisites are met and review the promotion process for any errors or misconfigurations.
6. Event ID 1129:
   • This error indicates a problem with group policy processing on a domain controller. It may suggest issues with network connectivity, DNS configuration, or group policy settings. Verify the domain controller's network settings, DNS resolution, and group policy configurations to resolve this issue.
7. Network Adapter Troubleshooting: Double-check the configuration and settings of the network adapter on the server. Ensure that it's configured to obtain an IP address automatically (if applicable) and that there are no conflicts with other devices on the network.
8. Check for Malware or Security Software: Run a thorough scan for malware or viruses on the server using reputable antivirus software. Additionally, ensure that any security software or firewall settings are not blocking internet access unintentionally.

Based on your description that you cannot log in to the router, it seems unlikely to be a DNS settings issue. We suspect that it might be related to the TLS/TLS version.

If after performing these additional steps, the issue still persists, it might be worth considering more in-depth diagnostics or contacting Microsoft Support for further assistance. They may be able to provide more specialized troubleshooting steps or identify any known issues related to recent updates or the OS configuration.

Please keep us updated on your progress, and feel free to reach out if you need further assistance.

Best regards,

Rosy

Answer 4

HI Rosy,

Thank you for your response and assisting me. the server worked for 14 hours before having the problem. Today I got a series of event ID 1054 when the issue occurred. I did not have any other errors such as 1129, 7023 or 1796). I ran the malware and nothing was found.

how do I check the TLS version? How do I check the DNS,? Some services must be reset after rebooting that makes it work? What services can I restart to test it?

I appreciate your help.

Jamshid

Answer 5

Hello Jamshid,

It sounds like you're dealing with a tricky issue. Event ID 1054 usually indicates that Windows couldn't obtain the Group Policy settings from a domain controller, often due to network problems. Since you're not seeing other related errors, this could be specifically linked to network configuration issues like DNS or problems with network communication protocols such as TLS.

Here’s how to address each part of your query:

1. Checking the TLS Version

To check the TLS version being used by Windows for outgoing connections (which might impact communication with domain controllers if it's set too high or too low), follow these steps:

• For Internet Explorer/Windows (system-wide):
  • Press Win + R, type inetcpl.cpl, and press Enter to open Internet Properties.

• Go to the *Advanced* tab.
• Scroll down to the **Security** section and check which versions of TLS are enabled (e.g., TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2, TLS 1.3).

• For Server Applications:
  • If you need to check what TLS version a server application (like IIS) is using, you might need to dig into the specific application settings or configuration files.

2. Checking DNS

To verify that DNS is configured correctly and functioning:

• *Check DNS Settings*:
  • Open Command Prompt and type ipconfig /all. Check the DNS servers listed to ensure they're correct as per your network configuration.

• Test DNS Resolution:
  • Still in Command Prompt, try pinging a domain name, e.g., ping google.com. If there’s a problem resolving domain names, it might not return an IP address.

• You can also perform nslookup google.com to see detailed DNS resolution output.

3. Services to Reset After Rebooting

If resetting certain services seems to temporarily fix the issue, you might be looking at services related to networking or Group Policy processing. Here are a few to consider:

1)win+r ,type :cmd.

• DNS Client Service: Responsible for caching DNS names.
  • Restart command: net stop dnscache followed by net start dnscache.

• **Network Location Awareness (NLA) Service**: This service identifies the network and its properties.
  • Restart command: net stop nlasvc followed by net start nlasvc.
• Group Policy Client: This could impact how policies are applied if it’s stuck or encountering issues.
  • Restart command: gpupdate /force to refresh Group Policy settings immediately.

• TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper* and *DHCP Client* can also be restarted to reset network settings:
  • net stop lmhosts followed by net start lmhosts for NetBIOS Helper.
  • net stop dhcp followed by net start dhcp for DHCP Client.

Next Steps

If the problem persists after checking and possibly adjusting the above settings:

• *Further Diagnostics*:
  • Look into the Event Viewer for any other warnings or errors that might provide more clues.
  • Consider if there have been any recent changes in your network environment (like updates, new software installations, or changes in network infrastructure).
• *Consult with IT Support or Network Administrator*:
  • If the issue is complex and involves enterprise/network-level configurations, further assistance from IT professionals might be necessary.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with or if you need more detailed guidance on any of the steps above!

Best regards

Rosy