System Error 52 when you connect to an NLB cluster name

When you issue a net view \\clustername command or use another NetBIOS connection on a Windows 2000-based Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster by cluster name, you may receive the following error message:

NetBIOS connections to the virtual cluster name are not supported because the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol in Windows 2000 performs a server name verification. Server name verification does not work because clustername does not match the computer name of the cluster host that is receiving the connection request.

This behavior is by design.

To make a NetBIOS connection to a Windows 2000-based NLB cluster, connect by using the virtual IP address.