Error: ConnectionCheckForData (CheckforData()).

Here is the error message that I am getting:

[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][DBNETLIB]ConnectionCheckForData (CheckforData()).
Server: Msg 11, Level 16, State 1, Line 0
General network error. Check your network documentation.

The situation is this:
Client: Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard
Client s/w: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Client Tools (patched with SP4)

Server: Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard (SP1)
Server s/w: MSDE 2000, SP3

Network:
Connection is made over a MAN through two firewalls.

Error conditions:
1. I am able to make the initial connection.
2. I am able to perform:
a. SELECT @.@.VERSION
b. SELECT Host_Name()
c. SELECT TOP 1 * FROM sysfiles
3. I get the error whenever I attempt to perform any multi-row recordset (such as SELECT TOP 2 * FROM sysfiles).

We have restarted the SQL instance and the error repeated itself immediately.

When we restart the server, the error goes away. Right now, I am trying to figure out how long from the time the server is restarted to the time the failures appear. By the way, the server is not mine; it's managed by a partner agency so I have limited access to system statistical functions. I have tried inspecting @.@.PACK_SENT, @.@.PACK_RECEIVED and @.@.PACKET_ERRORS, but I do not have access to sysperfinfo or perf monitor.

I have tried Googling the error message and the results seem to be scattered: there was a problem with corrupt indexes (fixed in SP4), a problem with distributed inserts and some other issues that don't seem to apply in this situation.

I am mystified and I don't know what to suggest. If any of you have any ideas, I would be grateful for your thoughts.

Regards,

hmscottCheck ur networking hardware or configuration
somewhere. Look at your network interface settings - especially duplex
settings. Sometimes setting the NICs to Auto duples causes these errors.

checked SQL Server error log? Stack dumps?