I'm looking for an experienced networking person that can me resolve
why I cannot see one of the computers on my home network.  There are 2
systems.  One is a XP-Home system (computer name is Tony) and the
other is a WIN2K system (computer name is Wendy).  Each are connected
to a Linksys 4 port wired router which is connected to a Cable/DSL
modem to the ISP.  Web surfing from either system works perfectly. 
The WIN2K system is used for business and maintains a VPN tunnel to a
business server.  Each system also uses Norton Anti-virus.  Both
systems are in the same WORKGROUP called CALLIE.  Each system also has
one additional user created with a password.  The name of the
additional user and the password is identical on each of the systems.
On the XP system, the Internet Connection Firewall has been disabled. 
The XP system has the following protocols checked in the Local Area
Network properties: Client for MS Networks, File and Print sharing,
QoS Packet Scheduler, TCP/IP.  Under the properties of TCP/IP, the
following are checked:  Obtain IP address automatically, Obtain DNS
automatically.  Under the Advanced tab, the following is checked: 
WINS - enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.   The same is true for the WIN2K
system with one exception...an additional protocol called Net Firewall
which is required for the business connection to the VPN server is
checked under the LAN properties box.  The WIN2K system can see the XP
system and can share its printer.  However, the XP system cannot see
the WIN2K system or its printer.  Both systems can PING each other. 
I've tried doing a SEARCH for the WIN2K system from the XP system but
to no avail.  I've even tried a separate WIN2K system without the VPN
tunnel and the NET FIREWALL but that didn't help. Your help will be
appreciated.

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Request for Question Clarification by endo-ga on 07 Dec 2003 13:11 PST

Hi,

What happens if you type \\computer name or \\IP address directly in
the address bar on the XP machine?

Do you have service pack 1 for XP?

Thanks.
endo

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 07 Dec 2003 15:43 PST

I assume that "the address bar" you refer to is the bar that comes up
when you search for "Computers" in "My Network Places".  In doing so,
the search is negative.  I have XP Service 1a installed as well as
SP2.

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 07 Dec 2003 15:50 PST

There is one thing I forgot to mention...when I went into the My
Computer to change the computer name and add it to a WORKGROUP, it
comes back with the correct name but then adds the following to the
computer name...."name.XXXXXXX.XXX.COM" where name is WENDY but for
security purposes, I have left off the definition of the X's.  If I
ping just WENDY, it responds appropriately.  If I ping
WENDY.XXXXXX.XXX.COM, it does not respond.  There does not appear to
be a way to eliminate the added data.  I suspect that this is
necessary for connection purposes with the biz server.

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Request for Question Clarification by endo-ga on 07 Dec 2003 15:58 PST

Hi,

When I mean address bar, I mean the address bar of a folder view for
example. Open any folder and there should be an address bar at the
top, try entering the IP address directly there.

Thanks.
endo

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 08 Dec 2003 05:33 PST

endo-ga, I may be missing something re: the address bar.  I've never
used it but did find it under folder views and selected it.  However,
it did bring it up onto the second line of my folder view but remains
"grayed out" and does not respond when attempting to double click it. 
I got to my folders by right clicking on start and selecting "EXPLORE"
which is what I had assumed you wanted.

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Request for Question Clarification by endo-ga on 08 Dec 2003 06:51 PST

Hi,

Using the address bar from 'My Network Places' should have worked.
You'd expect the computer to be found. Even typing \\IP in the address
bar of Internet Explorer should work. Could you try that please?

If that still doesn't work, can you try putting the W2K machine in the
DMZ of your router? This is in the router configuration somewhere,
usually you can add a machine's IP address to it.

Thanks.
endo

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Request for Question Clarification by endo-ga on 14 Dec 2003 19:20 PST

Hi,

Do you still have this problem?

Thanks.
endo

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 15 Dec 2003 08:33 PST

Yes, I still am not able to see the W2K system from my XP system. 
I've tried the suggestions you made to no avail.  I'm using a wired 4
port Linksys router and went into the setup to look for a DMZ but did
not find anything that mentions DMZ. This has to be a simple problem
and I suspect a TCP/IP configuration issue but I'm cannot figure it
out.  I can send you a copy of the IPCONFIG /ALL if you thought that
might help.  What is your level of experience with networking?

---

Request for Question Clarification by endo-ga on 15 Dec 2003 08:58 PST

Hi,

I've just tried this with my machines. I get the same behavior as you
describe if I disable "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks" on the 2K machine. Please check that this is enabled on the
properties of the network connection. Also you might want to make sure
that "Enable Netbios" is checked in the advanced properties of the
connection.

The ipconfig /all dump would have been useful if you couldn't ping the
machine at all. Since the computers are "talking" it is not a low
level TCP/IP problem but more like a "Windows being silly" problem.

Sorry I don't know how to describe my level of experience with networking.

I hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes.

Thanks.
endo

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 16 Dec 2003 19:40 PST

Print and File sharing are checked on both systems.  Enable NetBIOS
over TCP/IP is also checked on both system.  Upon reviewing the
IPCONFIG of each system, the only differences are the following:  The
W2K system (the one that I cannot see from the XP system) has NODE
TYPE set to BROADCAST.  The W2K system has DNS Suffix Search List set
to ibm.com and the Connection-specific DNS Suffix set to ibm.com.  The
IP addresses of course differ by one.  Under the LAN TCP/IP
properties, there is a NET FIREWALL checked.  I unchecked it to see if
that would make a difference but it does not.  However, when
unchecked, the W2K system is unable to connect to its business servers
so it must remained checked.  I did some web search on NET FIREWALL
and could not find anything specific so I am assuming that this might
be an IBM proprietary protocol.  I don't recall if I mentioned to you
that we ran a test with another W2K system without the above NET
FIREWALL and again the XP system could not see the W2K system.

---

Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 17 Dec 2003 11:41 PST

Most of your comments are XP specific.  On the W2K system, when right
clicking on "MY COMPUTER", your options are Network Identification,
Hardware, User Profiles and Advanced.  Under Network Identification,
there is a "Properties" button.  Upon clicking on this, the computer
name and workgroup bars are available...and they are correct.  There
is "More" button which has a primary DNS bar and it is blank.  With
regard to ensuring that the task manager does not have any program
running that might be associated with a "FIREWALL", I don't have any
idea which of the tasks this might be.  There are none that are
obvious.  The W2K system does not have a Internet Firewall like the XP
system.  If there is a software firewall that comes with a W2K system,
I don't know what it is or where to find it.

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Clarification of Question by tonyadam-ga on 18 Dec 2003 09:59 PST

I have always suspected that since this is pre-configured system for
business use that there may very well be a firewall that prevents
anyone else from seeing anything on the Wendy System.  And yes...I
have posted this same problem on TECHGUYS with no solution which is
why I thought I would try Google Answers.  I will try to clarify again
whether or not IBM network or pre-configured systems prevent any type
of sharing and will post something soon.  However, since this was a
somewhat obvious issue, we tried connecting another entirely different
laptop with W2K to my network, with no VPN tunnel and one that we knew
was working on a different home network and it too was not visible by
my XP system. I fully expected that it would work but didn't.

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Request for Question Clarification by aht-ga on 24 Dec 2003 10:33 PST

tonyadam-ga:

Are you still pursuing a solution to this problem, and have you had
the opportunity to find out more information regarding the VPN client
on WENDY?

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

You mentioned one of your computer names ended up having more than
just the computer name.  That would be the dns suffix you can get rid
of it by right clicking on my computer going to properties, go to the
computer name tab, click the more box and there would be the added
stuff.
Not sure but this could be causing some problems.

Also I had that happen to me onece and it was because I had the xp
firewall setup.  Iknow you said you have disabled it many times just
for testing but have you rebboted your machine after you desable it.

Make sure the firewall is completely turned off.  Go to you task
manager and do a end task on anything relating to this firewall.  In
theory there should be nothing else causing this problem if all that
you have stated still holds to be true.

tonyadam:

I noticed that you have been corresponding with some folks on the
techguy.org forums about this issue, without any resolution. While I
myself have quite a bit of experience networking mixed operating
systems together in home networks, I also know that there are about as
many causes for this type of problem as there are possible
combinations of OSes, versions, etc.

It may be of help to find out which VPN client you are using to
establish the VPN connection on the W2K machine (Wendy), and to find
out the history behind the W2K machine (as in, was it provided by the
company for teleworking, was it pre-configured by them, is it an
IBM-brand computer). In a W2K/XP environment, browsing between
computers relies on the NetBIOS over TCP/IP to function. Since it
depends on TCP/IP to work, it is almost a rule that any VPN connection
that takes over the TCP/IP stack will prevent you from browsing the
W2K machine from the XP machine. Depending on the configuration of the
VPN client as well as the firewall that accompanies it, this may or
may not mean that you will never be able to browse the W2K machine
from any other machine on the local network.

A couple of other questions to help shed some more light:

1. Can machines on the corporate network (including WENDY, when the
VPN connection is active) browse each others' shared folders and
printers?

2. Can you confirm that there is a "Computer Browser" service running
on both machines? This is accessed in W2K from Control
Panel>Administrative Tools>Services.

Thanks,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

tonyadam:

At the risk of restating information that you already know, the
prerequisites for windows workgroup computing are:

- all devices on same workgroup
- clear communications for NetBIOS (and NetBEUI for older OSes pre-W2K)
- Browser service running on all workgroup member computers
- no filtering/firewall for local area network

For NT/W2K/XP there is also the matter of who the master browser (ie.
the computer that maintains the browser list) is, but in a two
computer configuration, that is not going to be an issue.

In your scenario, adding the third W2K laptop to the network should
work, as long as the W2K laptop:

a. is configured/identified to work on either a domain or a workgroup
b. is not equipped with a firewall that filters the local network
c. has its Computer Browser service running
d. has File & Printer sharing and TCP/IP active
e. has the Client for Microsoft Networks activated

Then, at a minimum, the Computer Browser service should, upon boot-up,
look for a master browser in the workgroup and announce itself to it,
or if it does not find one, declare itself the master browser.

'Ping'ing only confirms whether or not an unimpeded simple TCP/IP path
exists between the devices. File and printer sharing rides on top of
that in this configuration. The firewall can interfere with the TCP/IP
path, security settings and differences in workgroup settings can
interfere with the sharing.

Once you have found out what the VPN client is, the nature of the
firewall on WENDY, and had a chance to try out that 3rd laptop again,
let me know if there is any new progress that might shed some light on
any potential solution.

Regards,

aht-ga

First, dns suffix is not for you, if your dns server do not resolve it for you.

Next, try to add NetBEUI protocol to your machines
(Your XP CD, VALUEADD\MSFT\NET\NETBEUI, See netbeui.txt to get more
help to install it.)

Good luck!
wonlay

wonlay-ga:

NetBEUI is not required for a network where only W2K and XP machines
are present. Microsoft does not support the use of NetBEUI with XP
machines, they only provide it on the CD in case the end user needs to
allow Win95 and Win98 (pre-98SE) machines to access it's resources.
That is not the problem that tonyadam-ga has encountered. Due to it's
inherent security risks, it is always highly recommended that NetBEUI
not be installed unless absolutely necessary to allow a Win95/98
machine access.

Regards,

aht-ga