OT: home network woes

I've been fighting this problem on/off since September. When a 'puter won't do my bidding, I give up, wait and try again later.

I put in a DSL modem. And then a Dlink router:

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mounted right after the DSL modem. This is a wireless router with four Ethernet connections. (I'm not using the wireless part at this time.) From the router, I have a wire to each of three different computers. My goal was to have a home network with internet access on all 'puters.

I have internet access on all the 'puters but no home network. The only way to share files is to email them out to my server and then back to the other 'puter. I've been doing this for four months now. It works OK as long as the files are less than 2 meg.

I have tried everything I can think of to network with no success. OS is XP on all computers. Did I buy the wrong router? Still something stupid wrong that I just can't find? I'm starting to guess here - this can't be that hard.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend
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I have Win XP Pro running on two computers connected via a router and DSL modem similar to your setup.

You have to share folders to be able to, well, share files. ;-)

Look up "share" in XP's help. (Start | Help and Support)

Post back if you get stuck.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

I am no authority on this (a lucky dummy, actually), so ignore it if someone has a better-sounding response.

But this is what happened to me. I have a cheap CompUSA router on my cable modem. After I got the distributed Internet connection working I still couldn't get the home network going, like you. The I read something obscure about straight-through Ethernet cables versus crossover cables. The more common ones in stores are crossover cables. That's what I was using. So I changed to straight-through cables, and now I have file sharing on my home network.

There is some info about it here:

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There is a ton of info about this on the Web, if you can read it.

Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Hummm odd..XP is a snap to set up a network.

Do a google search on networking xp and check your settings against those examples you will find.

Each puter has to have a workgroup name in common, an individual name, and a range of IP addresses

The ones I use are 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.0.15 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0

also, are you using a firewall such as zone alarm? you have to give it the trusted addys of each puter or the range of puters in your net before it will allow them to talk to each other.

When you click on network neighborhood, any puter show up?

set a machine up with the above IPs and subnet masks, and individual names, then go to start/find/computers and enter the name and have it search

XP pro has a rather decent networking wizard you might find handy.

Gunner

"To be civilized is to restrain the ability to commit mayhem. To be incapable of committing mayhem is not the mark of the civilized, merely the domesticated." - Trefor Thomas

Reply to
Gunner

Check in network under firewall had the same problem the XP firewall wouldn't let the computers see each other but would let them out the router.

Reply to
Bill

Not familiar with the D-link unit, but there are a couple of possible things which may be at work here.

In XP: Do you have a workgroup set up? Is it the same on each PC? Do you have file and printer sharing enabled on each? Be careful with this one, as if it is set up incorrectly, there is a possiblity of sharing file access accross the 'net (I know this is an issue with cable modems, dunno about DSL). Your DSL provider may have information on this. If you do set up file sharing, at the very least require passwords to access drives.

On the router: Does it set up the PC's with DHCP? Are all the PC's on the same local network?

And lastly, a cheap alternative:

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HTH --Glenn Lyford

Reply to
Glenn Lyford

OK, what are the network addresses of all these computers? Are they the same? That will certainly make it impossible for them to talk to each other. But, unless you have an ISP who provides more than one IP address, you can't have them BOTH talk to the network through the DSL modem, and each other, without something extra. Your router MAY be able to do this, but it may need some more sophisticated settings than come from the factory.

  1. make sure each computer has a different IP address. If you assign addresses that are contiguous, like 192.168.1.5, 192.168.1.6, 192.168.1.7, etc.) this will make things easier.
  2. Find out how to reconfigure the router. What you probably want is totally open ports between all local machines, and NAT translation from all ports to the DSL modem. And, unless you need to serve web pages to network, you probably want all ports closed from the DSL to the PCs.

There may be a program that came with the router, or you may be able to make the changes with a SNMP client.

  1. If you can't make the router do this, it is possible to make one of your machines act as a router.
  2. To avoid having to set up one of the machines to be a DNS (domain name server) you can set the computers to not require DNS to communicate. And/or, you can define the IP addresses of all the machines in your local network, and then they should be able to communicate between each other without needing any other services.

(I have a home network with no router other than the lame and disabled one in the DSL modem/router. Otherwise, I have a hub and a mix of Windows 95 and 2000 and Linux systems. The main Linux system is the router, DNS server, and performs other services to the net. But, I haven't tried XP, and probably won't.)

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Can the computers ping each other?

I also have a DSL modem followed by a 4-port router. We have 5 PCs networked at my house, and are about to add another. I used my router's filter capability to deny Internet access to the kids' PCs. I did this by explicitly assigning them IP addresses and by denying HTML packets to a range of IP addresses. It works perfectly.

We have a mix of Windows releases - W98, W2k and XP. They all work, but I didn't configure them - my brother (the rocket scientist) did.

I wonder if FTP works between your PCs.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Often the DSL modem is a default DNS and this configuration cannot be changed. That's how it is in my setup.

Our modem spits out a single ethernet port, and to allow simultaneous access to our machines here, I put in a simple hub that splits this off to N connections. I think there is some simple anti-collision feature at work inside this magic box.

The individual machines cannot talk to each other here, btw.

Jim

================================================== please reply to: JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com ==================================================

Reply to
jim rozen

Hey Karl:

You can definately do what you want. I'm doing it now with a mix of Windows

2000 pro, Windows '98, and XP Pro machines.

Either your DSL router, or your wireless (DLink) router, will support DHCP. That means that your IP will be dynamically assigned. Which will work just fine. Looking through the configuration for each will tell you if DHCP is enabled, and what the range is. I wouldn't worry too much, as if all your machines can get out then they must already have valid, and unique IP's. In the windows network, if you have duplicates, it will complain immediately. I assign my IP's here, but that's my preference for network management - I run between 8 and 10 machines depending on what's running.

I would guess with great confidence your DLink router will include firewall protection.

First part I would check is workgroup name - found in a couple of places, but start at the control panel. And network identification. Make sure the workgroup is the same. For my machines, I make sure all the logins are users for all the machines. I've spent so much time with W2K pro and now (recently) XP-Pro, they are derivitives of NT and treat users/groups differently than ME or '98, I don't have any direct experience with XP home. Anyway, make sure you share *something*. Share a folder in on your hard drive, share a printer, share *something*. Then your machines will appear - er I should say should appear.

Reply to
John Hofstad-Parkhill

I use a Netgear RT324 router. It is configurable and has worked reliably for nearly four years. It can serve DHCP if asked but for 3 machines, just pick IP addresses and be done with it!

Grant

jim rozen wrote:

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I only work with 98se, so your milage may vary. You have to make sure that whatever protocol you're using is set for binding to file and printer sharing. As a matter of course, we setup netbeau with file and print sharing on for the local area network and TCP/IP with binding off for internet. This gives another level of protection to our local area network.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

The wire is a Cat 5 cable? not a crossover? It would just about have to be or you wouldn't get to a network but I had to ask.

Did you run XPs network wizard? from each computer?

Can you ping any of the other computers? from each computer?

Can you ping the router from each computer? Probably yes or some wouldn't get to the internet.

Have you enabled file sharing?

Did you enable DHCP?

Did you run "search" for computers on the network?

Have you run "ipconfig"? from a DOS prompt? from each computer? Have you run (from a DOS prompt)? "ipconfig /all" without the quotes. If so what do you get? If not do so and then what do you get?

What is the IP address? Subnet mask? default gateway? for each computer? obtained from "ipconfig".

What is the workgroup? for each computer?

When you view "network connections" what do you see?

Does "network bridge" show here? If so what do you see when you look in the box "This connection uses the following items? Network bridge will show if the router is setup for both cable and wireless.

Normally XP computers on a network are easy. The trouble starts when you have an XP and a mixture of Win98, Win98se, Win95, etc.

I have that router with XP and several Win98 computers. It works just fine but getting it working was a learning experience and it was not the fault of the router.

P.S. have you disabled ALL firewalls? That router is a better firewall than any software you might use and software firewalls can raise hell with setting up a home network.

Reply to
Don Wilkins

My understanding is XP Home edition does not network.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

"Paul" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Sure it does, but you have to set it up. The first thing is you have to share a resource on each computer, else there is nothing to network to.

Reply to
Anthony

Virtually ALL wireless routers manufactured and sold today are purpose built for EXACTLY this application.

Do NOT assign IP addresses. The router has a very capable DHCP (Dynamic HostControl Protocol) server built in that makes sure there are no duplications. Just set all computer TCPIP settings to host supplied.

No SMTP required - all web enabled (usually 192.168.0.1, cometimes

192.168.1.1 or 192.168.123.1)

Don't make things any more difficult than necessary. The D-Ling router is VERY capable and simple.

Reply to
clare

It networks as long as there is no domain involved. Strictly Peer to peer. Not as nice to work with as Pro, or even 98SE or NT4.

Reply to
clare

Wrong, though it's true that XP Home is crippled by comparison with XP Pro. Eg, as noted near the end of

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Edition doesn't have IPSec, SNMP, Simple TCP/IP services, Client Service for NetWare, Network Monitor, and a couple other items.

Do you have XP Home, XP Pro, or both?

Others have commented on what to do and perhaps you've got the problem fixed now; if I were looking at your network, I'd start by entering the command "ipconfig /all" at a command prompt on each computer to see host name, ip numbers and subnet mask. If the ip's are on the same net, ping to verify hardware. If not on the same net, change ip's as noted below. Also see ping example in part 6 of

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.

If hardware is ok, skip over the ip-number parts of the following double-bracketed section to the workgroup-setting instructions. I cut and pasted this from some of my notes mostly re XP ip setup.

[[To start Control Panel, click on Start and then the Control Panel choice. The XP control panel has two viewing forms. One form, titled ``Pick a category'', shows nine useless category names (for example, ``Appearance and Themes'') on the right side of its window. If this non-classic view of the Control Panel appears, click ``Switch to Classic View'' near the top left of the window. (Choices available from the non-classic view don't allow simple entry of IP numbers, etc.)

To set IP#: Start Control Panel as described above. Click Network. (or ``LAN or High-Speed Internet'' if so labeled). Click item ``Local Area Network'' or ``Local Area Connection''. A window called ``Local Area Connection Status'' will appear. Click Properties in it. In the ``Local Area Connection Properties'' window, highlight the ``Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)'' line and click Properties. An ``Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties'' window will appear. Either click ``Use the following IP address:'' and fill in a unique address such as 192.168.0.3, or if your router supplies DHCP, click "Obtain an IP address automatically".

(For XP Home, the sequence of windows may be Control Panel / Network and Dialup / Local Area Connection / Properties / Internet protocol / Properties.)

(To set machine name: For XP Home, start Control Panel then click System / Network Identification / Properties. Or possibly My Computer / System Tasks/ View System Info / Computer Name. Give every machine a different computer name.

Set the workgroup to whatever you like, but it must be the same on all machines. (XP Professional only allows upper case entry, eg, XYZ, for workgroup.) Enable file sharing to get new machines to show up on other computers' Network Nbd. In Network Nbd click "Computers near me" to list computers in the same workgroup.]]

I don't have access to an XP system at the moment. This URL

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) tells how to turn off so-called "simple sharing" to allow straightforward file sharing from XP Pro systems, but *not* from XP Home.

Some of the links from the above URL lead to

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tells how to set file sharing permissions for XP Home systems with NTFS file system; all you have to do is reboot while pressing F8 to get into Safe Mode, log in as administrator, fiddle the permissions, etc. etc. etc.

It might be simpler to install cygwin on one or more of your computers, install an scp server from

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on one machine, install a WinSCP client on each machine, and use that to transfer files around via the common point of the SCP server. I use WinSCP to transfer files from my linux machines to my wife's Windows 2000 machines and have been pleased with it. I haven't used devguy's SCP server but the writeup looks good.

-jiw

Reply to
James Waldby

And you need to set up to allow communication between the ports on the router. This may be easy -- it may not. I don't use a wireless hub, and have a nice Cisco two-port router between my 56k frame-relay connection and my systems.

You are talking about different things here.

He suggested SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

You mentioned SNTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) -- the protocol used for e-mail between servers. Many Windows and Mac *client* machines use POP instead, I believe.

Note that everyone has been mentioning IP addresses in the

192.168.*.* range. There is a good reason for this. These are *private* addresses, which don't route out onto the net or through it. Another block is 10.*.*.*. 127.0.*.* is also private, and used for the default "localhost" addresses for systems which don't connect to a network at all -- so programs which need net connection protocols between server and client programs on the same machine will work just as though they were through the ethernet.

There is one more private block -- but I tend to forget that most of the time.

Just *never* set a machine to any address outside of those private blocks -- unless they will *never* be connected to systems which see the net -- or unless you have an IP block allocated to you -- usually though your ISP.

[ ... ]

No experience with it -- and I'm not likely to hang a wireless router on my network unless I put a *hardware* firewall between it and the rest of my systems. (Do a Google on "warchalking" to find out why. :-) And in particular -- if you aren't *using* the wireless feature -- find some way to *disable* it -- or someone else *will* be using it -- and *your* net feed.

I also do very little networking with Windows boxen -- I don't

*trust* them on the outside net. For *that*, I use various flavors of unix.

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Add NWLink, IPX, SPX (if XP) otherwise add Microsoft IPX, SPX compatible protocol on all machines. Make sure the workgroup name is the same on all. Enable File and Printer sharing on all machines and set whatever devices sharable that you wish. If you are using Windows 2000 or XP, adding user names to those boxes that match the others will sometimes help, especially in 2000. The router you use is transparent to peer-to-peer networking. Any more challenges, let me know. Respectfully, Ron Moore

Reply to
Ron Moore

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