2 LAN Connections Possible on Win2K? 2

[Dollie]

Is it possible to set up two LAN connections on Windows 2000 Pro? I'm trying to set up a laptop that a user can use on our office network (static IP) and when travelling (obtain IP automatically).

I've tried setting up two separate hardware profiles, Travel and Office, but changes in one copy over to the other.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[bcastner]

Hardware profiles will not help. You need to use the Netsh utility and create two small batch files on the desktop. Here is a good tutorial on the process:

http://www.petri.co.il/configure_tcp_ip_from_cmd.htm

 

[tahoe2]

Actually, I got my bosses laptop to do this.
He uses the internal NIC thats set up dynamically when he's in the office. When he travels and needs a static IP, he uses a PCMCIA NIC that's set up. Once the external NIC is inserted, it takes over as primary or whatever, and VOILA!
2 profiles, one machine, no third party SW.

Hope this helps,

Corie

 

[bcastner]

It doesn't really. The hardware profiles have nothing to do with the notion that two adapters can have different settings. Netsh is a native Win2k and XP utility and is installed with the Operating System. It is not a third party utility.

 

[tahoe2]

I'm afraid I don't follow. What doesn't really? Really what?

Thanks,

Corie

 

[bcastner]

It doesn't VOILA!

What I was trying to express is that alterations of the hardware profiles is not a solution with one adapter; and need not be altered at all with two.

There are two ways to bell this cat:

1. With one adapter, use the native NETSH.EXE utility of Win2k. Its purpose is to provide command line access to TCP/IP configuration.

2. With two adapters you obviate the need to change settings. This is independent of hardware profiles. Win2k allows settings by adapter; so having more than one adapter will allow more than one setting.

I was not criticizing your solution. I use it very frequently myself in exactly the circumstance you faced. It is just at a technical level it does not answer your original question, and avoids rather than uses the hardware profile side of Win2k to attempt a resolution to the problem.

I would, I hope, tuck away for future reference the earlier discussion of how to use one adapter and to modify its profile through .bat or .cmd files. With a laptop computer it is not uncommon to face not two choices, but multiple choices of connection sites in normal use. Using NETSH and creating a .bat profile is an elegant way of handling 2-1000 different connection scenarios.

Again, I was not criticizing your solution.

Best,
Bill Castner

 

[tahoe2]

Hi. I didn't think you were criticizing (sometimes I can sound so harsh... sorry). I'm always open to new ways of doing things, and sometimes I get stuck in the 'can't see the froest for the trees' mentality. That's why I didn't get what you meant. I played around with the netsh utility this weekend and it's pretty cool. I can see how that would be a classier way of doing things.
Again, thanks!

Corie

 

[Dollie]

As a follow up, thank you for the netsh utility suggestion! It was exactly what I needed to get a non-tech user's laptop online here in the office and outside our network.

Thanks again!

 

[bcastner]

Dollie,

You are welcome. I wish the "save" and "restore" configuration feature was better known, as people have really beat themselves up trying alternative routes.

There are some good Third-Party utilities, but they begin to fall apart in Domain settings where often a Domain Administrator right is required to make the changes. And this becomes even more likely an issue as XP clients are introduced.

Glad you got it sorted.
Bill

 

[Nyrlath]

bcastner, I to am a happy user of netsh. I cant live without it. But now, for some reason it no longer functions on my workstation and I wonder if anyone might know why. When I run it it brings up the lovely "netsh.exe has encountered a problem and must close" window.
Any ideas on what would cause netsh to stop functioning?

 

[bcastner]

Two thoughts:

First, NETSH.EXE requires a library called framedyn.dll that's in the c:\winnt\system32\wbem directory. That's probably not on your path; the easiest thing to do is to copy the framedyn.dll file up into the c:\winnt\system32 directory.

Second, use Notepad to make sure when Netsh created the profiles for your static IP entry, it configured the scripting lines properly.

Often it will write this for the DNS entries:

set dns name="Local Area Connection" source=static addr=129.100.2.12 register=PRIMARY

add dns name="Local Area Connection" addr=129.100.2.51 register=PRIMARY

Edit the lines to remove the "register=PRIMARY" on both DNS entries.

 

[Nyrlath]

Thanks for the ideas bcastner, but unfortunately no luck. the \wbem dir is in my path. You mentioned the framedyn.dll it uses, is there any other files that it uses that you know of? Perhaps one of the files is corrupt and I can snag them all from another system.
I wasnt sure what you were referencing in regards to the script and DNS, but I assume you mean the profile created from within netsh? I cant even get that far, typing "netsh" at the cmd line doesnt even work.
Thanks again for your quick response, I really appreciate it! (oh and sorry to thread hijack)

 

[bcastner]

sfc /Scannow

 

[bcastner]

Nyrlath,

I cannot find any other supporting files required other than framedyn.dll, and if was an issue you would have had a slightly different error message.

What I am beginning to suspect in your case is a possible Winsock service stack corruption. Please download and run this utility to at the very least ensure that your registry, device, router and other tables do not have an issue:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/WinsockFix.zip

Check your settings manually after your workstation reboots before trying a netsh.

Then allow netsh to recreate its "dump" files in both settings.

 

[ks1392]

bcastner - thanks for the link to the netsh walkthrough. Even if one isn't too comfortable with batch files, this is a pretty easy way to set up multiple TCP/IP environments. I too experimented with Hardware profiles on my laptop in an attempt to set up separate DHCP and dedicated IP environments. I personally feel that this type of scenario should be supported through hardware profiles, although W2K's ability to take a NIC down and back up without a reboot mitigates this need.

Kerr