connecting to a domain network via router

Hi All,

we have a domain based windows/novell network with fixed IPs for all machines. There are also a few laptops that should have access to the network printers and a couple of folders on the windows server via a router that only a few client machines from the network are connected to for internet access.

For some reason, I can share a local folder on two of the machines and access them with the laptops, with the other two it doesn't work. Do the laptops have to be part of the domain to connect properly to the network printers?
How would I need to set them up, as I can't seem to be able to connect to the domain.

thanks for your help!

 

As far as i know any computer trying to use domain resources like your print server need to be on the domain. Ive never found a way around that. Youd need a professional version of an OS to connect to a domain, so thats probably why youre not able to connect your laptops.

 

I'm not sure I understand the network topology(any chance you could make a diagram?), but I'll say this: Routers do not pass all protocols, for instance, NetBEUI is non-routable protocol and it will work only on the LAN. For the PCs connected to the router to be on the main network with the domain & its resources you could use VPN between the routers that create the network.
Or it is you have the printers shared on the server and 2 laptops that can't print? Then it is an issue with the laptop have to be part of the domain to share in its resources.
"All machines" include printers? You should be able to directly connect to the printer if thats the case.

 

Hi guys,

thanks for your quick reply!
I attached a rather crude sketch of the network, but I hope it'll serve the purpose

I realize I wasn't exactly clear about how things are set up. So here we go again: All the client machines and the server have a fixed IP for the domain network. The two client machines that are connected to the router use another NIC to connect to the router where they get a dynamic IP. The two laptops also use dynamic IPs to connect to the router, and are only connected to the network via the router.
All client machines and the laptops use WinXP Pro. The way things are set up right now, the laptops can't connect to the domain controller(win 2003 server). The Servers aren't supposed to be connected to the router, which would make things easier, I guess.

Foogoo, would you know of a good tutorial on how to set up the VPN connection you proposed? Also, would I need a special router to do that?

 

Routers define networks. So the whole setup there has one router so all the computers look like are on the same network. Is the router handling DHCP? Are all computer on the same network IP scheme (static & dynamic)?
Are the printers shared via the DC?
In that diagram is the last workstation there setup with 2 nics? One to the domain & one to the router? This would change my first statement because, that workstation would need to do some routing.

 

There are three strands(not sure if this is the correct term) that are all connected to the windows server/DC(it has three network cards). all workstations and printer are part of one of these and have a static IPs. The laptops have no connection to this network except through a router with DHCP dynamic IPs. two of the workstations in the domain network are connected to the router as well with an extra network card.
thanks again for looking into this and I hope this clarifies things.

 

Are the printers sharded by the domain or do they have their own IPs?
Is all this is one area (Local Area Network)?

 

Thanks for following this up foogoo!
The printers do have their own IPs but are shared in the domain via the DC.
And it is one network with 3 strands that all originate in the DC.
The router being somewhat of an exception as it is only connected to a couple of workstations.

 

I'm going to fall back to the VPN solution
try http://easy-vpn.comodo.com/