Invisible computer

[tekrat]

I have a small network, where one computer seems invisible to some of the others. I've tried pulling cables, replugging, and changing my wiring setup around woth no success. There are 2 servers, 2 hubs, a DS router and three workstations


HUB+------------------ServerNT4
+------------------win98SE-MAIN workstation
I
HUB+----------------------ROUTER----DSL
+------------------win98SE-workstation2
+------------------win98se -workstation3
+------------------Backup server NT4

the first server has 10.0.0.9 fixed IP address, all others get IP assigned by the Router in the range 10.0.0.31 up.

All machines are able to see each other. Except for MAIN, all machines can access each others shared printers, and shared drives/paths.

All machines, except the first server, can access the internet through the router.

However, no one except the first server can access the printer and drives on MAIN. They show up, eg. in Net Neigborhood on the backup server, it shows MAIN, but it's not accessable. When clicked, it says \\Main not accessable, the network path was not found. However it can ping the NIC in MAIN ok.

I can run a diagnostic on MAIN, which sees the other machines sending packets to its NIC.

A couple of night ago, after most of the machines had been powered off, the backup server was able to see MAIN, for about an hour. I though it had been solved by powering off but I guess not.

 

[karmic]

Few things to check...
- make sure the master browser is disabled in "file and print sharing" on the main.
- make sure you are logging into the 98se main thru microsoft client.
- check your bindings under TCP/IP. Make sure everything is checked.

Good luck.
~ Whether you think you can or can't, you're right. Henry Ford~

 

[tekrat]

Good suggestions, I had found a problem previously with a machine that was using Windows login. The bindings were all ok. I tried changing Master Browser, [never played with that before]. However none of this worked.

Also discovered other problems, e.g. if the server is powered off, then MAIN, cannot get it's login password from the backup server.

I've spent about 10 hours playing with his, trying all kinds of settings, on both the servers, playing more with cabling, tried LMHOSTS, WINS, and various other stuff. I finally found that on the Backup Server, if I added NetBEUI Protocal, it can see the MAIN workstation.

Now I have to back track and find if that alone fixes the problem.or it's that plus all the other changes.

I changed the Backup server address to be hard coded, not DFCH from the router. Added NetBEUI on the MAIN workstations, and LMHOSTS on the Backup Server, and some other stuff. ALso have two NIC's in the MAIN, one to get to the servers, hard coded as 10.0.0.3, and one to get to the internet through the router.

One problem I still have is that if the TCP/IP is hard coded, not dynamic from the router, then the machine can't see the internet through the router.

 

[LoopyLoo]

Check your subnet masks, gateways and routes. Each machine should have an IP of 10.0.0.X, subnet 255.255.255.0 and a Default Gateway of the internal IP address of the DSL Router. Ensure that the range of addresses given out by the router EXCLUDES 10.0.0.9 (or any other static address). Make sure there is NO access list on the DSL router preventing access to the Internet from machines that are not DHCPed. Run ping tests against every node from every node. Ensure you are running Netbios over TCP/IP (or is that Netbeui over TCP/IP - I can never remember) on every machine.