WAN question

Please have patience w/me I'm an RPG programmer who has had a LAN/WAN thrust upon him... My problem is that in my network neighborhood I can't see any of the computers at our other location. I can ping their IP address - they can ping me, but we can't see each other. We are using the same protocols(TCP/IP and NETBEUI), the same workgroup, same everything I can see. I suppose we don't run what you'd call a real server but more of a peer to peer network. We do have one machine running a firewall between both locations and the net. between the two locations we have a T1. Hope I didn't stupid the savy to death with this. ...and would appriciate some brilliant one of you to tell me what button I push to fix the whole thing!

 

is the T1 a private line?

 

When you say private - it's provide by AT&T, we do not own the equipment on the ends of the wire. I'm given to understand that we have a T1 between the two locations, and then going back to AT&T and the world. Some channels are split off for voice(1-800 etc...), and some for data. Did that answer? I told you, you'd have to have patience.

 

yep, that's good enough. Basically I was checking to see if that T1 was ONLY used by you guys and not shared by any other people but your two locations.

Next.. in your IP configuration, make sure NETBIOS is on.

 

You're gonna have to hold my hand - how do I check to see that NETBIOS is on? (just to give you an idea of the depth of my ignorance - I assumed that it was a protocol and tried to add it...) getting the picture?

 

what OS are you using?

 

WIN/98 SE

 

*digs back in brain*

right click on NETWORK NEIGHBORHOOD
select your TCP/IP from the list and double click it.

when it comes up you'll see a new dialogue box.

Bear with me as I Haven' t used win98 in a long time. I mostly do this so quickly that I forget where it is..

On one of those tabs is the selection for NETBIOS. In fact I think NETBIOS has it's own tab. Click on it and make sure the box is checked that says NETBIOS over TCP/IP ...

 

...knew I'd seen that before. However it will not let me enable NETBIOS.

 

if it's greyed out then it's on by default I believe.

next thing is you need to make sure that you're logging using microsoft networks protocol. You can't view a Microsoft Network with out logging in. To do this we go back to where we selected the TCP/IP from the list. DON'T CLICK TCP/IP , instead..make sure that "client for microsoft networks" is listed. If not we'll have to install it.

 

Client for Microsoft Networks is selected as the primary network logon. I can see all the machines in this location. They can see all the machines in their locations. We just can't see each other. We are useing the same WORKGROUP name also.

 

if this is the case then everything is working fine.. your firewall is blocking NETBIOS port which is port 139..

 

Send a programmer to the firewall? Network administrators everywhere will wake up screaming in the middle of the night. I'll see if I can find it...

 

MUAHAHAHA!!!

I bet you a BILLION dollars that the admin won't open the port..

is there any particular reason why you NEED to SEE the machines? You can do pretty much whatever you want with a UNC..
start ..run.. type

\\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
where the X's represent the IP number of the machine you want to connect to.

 

I'll take that bet! (I'm the netman too ) Actually it's just me and an operator to run the whole scene here.

We have lots of aging P-233's here running win/95! Nobody backs up their stuff and as the drives start to die of old age we begin to have problems. So I've been asked "can you find a way to back up the pc's and make the users do it?" Well we're not gonna buy an actual server and just keep our sensative documents and files on that. So what I came up with is an inexpensive backup program, and a free scheduler that actually works on all of our systems - 95, 98, ME, 2000, and XP(xp's scheduler actually works well). So then I can use an inexpensive business pc with a DVD burner. Simply map a network drive from each machine to it and have the scheduler run the backup once a day - I'll burn a DVD once a week to keep offsite and we're doubly redundant. Make sense? Is it possible to map a drive to a machine I can't actually see?

 

KODO - you're a Major Geek of the first order!

And your kindness and patience are only exceded in your ability to hold my hand long enough to solve my problem.

I tried the //xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx thing(like you told me), the window popped up, I right clicked on a folder and one of my options? Map network drive! YOU DA MAN !

 

Glad I could help.

now.. you must stay and join us for a while..

 

Nutso! Should've known there'd be a catch

 

Ok then.. we'll let you leave now and then, but you have to tell us what RPG's you're programming

 

Mostly the ones from a little company there in Rochester. I used to work a bit on one from France but there's no future in it. It'd blow up at worst possible time, and only damage friendlies. It'd ignore the firewall and throw your secrets to the world. I no longer name the French version as ally.

 

oh.. erm.. excuse my one sided mind here.. lol. We geeks have an Acronym for RPG and it doesn't mean Rocket Propelled Grenade.. I thought you were a Role Playing Game programmer.. lol.
But Hey, you get to blow shit up which is cool in it's own right
I wasn't aware that france had any weapons that worked right anyway.. *cough* Chau Chat *cough*

 

Imagine my embarrasment. Ok - my RPG is an acronym for Report Program Generator. It ran on the old IBM 34's(I think), system 36's, system 38's, and most recently the AS/400.

I hate it when I try to be funny, but just wind up being that "stupid hillbilly programmer guy from Arkansas."

And please - no Bill Clinton remarks. We miss him here in Arkansas, but our aim's improving. If he comes back I'm going to invite him hunting.

 

don't worry.. they don't call me "The Shoe" because I have one foot.. I taste shoe leather quite often